Surfactant-assisted polyol preparation of nickel powders with different morphologies

Sub-micrometer nickel powders of controlled size and morphology were produced by a surfactant-assisted polyol method, using ethylene glycol (EG) as solvent and reductant in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant and NaOH. The resultant Ni powders were characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS, and FTIR. Spherical, hexagonal, and triangular fcc Ni powders from 0.30 to 0.60 μm were obtained in the presence of SDS; irregular spherical fcc Ni powders were obtained in its absence. The concentrations of SDS, NaOH and Ni(CH₃COO)₂·4H₂O greatly influence the product morphology and size.