Nanoscale synthesis and optical features of nickel nanoparticles

Nickel nanoparticles have been synthesized by chemical reduction method. By the analysis of X-ray diffraction, the resultant particles are characterized and found to be pure crystalline nickel with a face-centered cubic (FCC) structure. The morphology and size of the nanoparticles are studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micrographs reveal that the nanoparticles are mostly spherical. The compositional analysis has been carried out by using EDAX. The quantum size confinement of the crystallites is evident from the blue-shift of the absorption edge in the UV–vis absorption spectrum.