Mild Hydrothermal Synthesis of Ni-Cu Nanoparticles

Magnetic Ni-rich Ni-Cu nanoparticles with Ni : Cu mass ratio (S) of 2.0 and 2.6 were prepared using a mixture of polyoxyethylene (10) isooctylphenyl ether (Triton X-100) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in a mild hydrothermal condition at 95 degrees C. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) showed that the nanoparticles prepared at S 2.0 possessed Ni-Cu alloy characteristic whereas the characteristic was absent at S = 2.6. The XRD data was enhanced by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) which exhibited metal-metal (Ni-Cu) band at 455 cm(-1). Based on transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the average particle sizes for the nanoparticles prepared at S = 2.0 and 2.6 were in the range of 19-23 nm. The as-prepared nanoparticles exhibited paramagnetic behaviour measured using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and the specific saturation magnetization decreased at the higher concentration of Ni.