One Pot Synthesis, Surface, and Magnetic Properties of Ni–NiO@C Nanocomposites

Abstract

An entirely novel and creative technique was employed for producing magnetic Ni–NiO@C nanocomposites, and it was based on the utilization different amounts of finely ground and fully dried olive leaf powders. The resulting nanocomposites were identified and characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDS, TEM, and Raman techniques. The magnetic and surface characteristics of the composites, as it developed, were further evaluated using the Vibrating-Sample Magnetometer (VSM) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) techniques. The results confirmed the success of preparing a Ni–NiO@C nanocomposites, each containing Ni and NiO in crystalline form. Through the morphology of the resulting composites, determined on the basis of an SEM analysis, it became clear to us that the particles were of a semi-spherical shape, with a clear grouping and a definition of their grain boundaries. Comparably, a TEM investigation demonstrated that the composites had a core–shell structure. The surface area of the investigated composites increases as the content of dried olive leaf powders increases due to a significant increase in the total pore volume. These composites illustrated low magnetism (4.874 and 8.648 emu/g) and coercivity (55.203 and 39.639 Oe) for a number of reasons, which will be explained.

Keywords

• Ni/NiO
• nanocomposites
• core–shell structures
• Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface
• vibrating-sample magnetometer