Wet-Chemistry Synthesis of Nickel−Bismuth Bimetallic Nanoparticles and Nanowires

The simultaneous decomposition of bis(cyclooctadiene)nickel (0) [Ni(COD)2] and tetraphenyldibismuthine [Bi2Ph4] in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at reflux temperature leads to nickel−bismuth alloy nanoparticles with an average size of 8−10 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) diffraction methods show that these nanoparticles adopt the hexagonal structure of β-NiBi. Magnetic characterization shows a superparamagnetic behavior at temperatures above 45 K and the presence of antiferromagnetic dipolar interactions between the particles. XRD confirms the crystallization of the β-NiBi at temperatures above 600 °C. When the decomposition is carried out at a higher temperature (200 °C) in the presence of trioctylamine and oleic acid, NiBi nanowires were observed in addition to the nanoparticles.