Synthesis conditions in tailoring morphology of reticular particles in porous nickel powders prepared by template-assisted polyol process

Porous nickel powders having reticular structure were synthesized with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a soft template through a polyol process. PVP addition brought structural change of nickel particles from agglomerates to interconnected particle network. Surface morphology of the particles was changed from prickly to smooth structure with increasing reaction temperature and was also dependent on PVP polymerization degree. The reticular structure formed above a certain level of Ni concentration and neck region of the interconnected particles became thicker at higher Ni concentration. The porosity of the powders increased with increasing PVP content and was saturated at a certain amount of PVP, which is required to obtain a maximum porosity of the powders. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.