Nanoscale synthesis and optical features of nickel nanoparticles

Nickel nanoparticles have been synthesized by chemical reduction method. By the analysis of X-raydiffraction, 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 scanningelectron microscopy (SEM) and micrographs reveal that the nanoparticles are mostly spherical. The com-positional analysis has been carried out by using EDAX. The quantum size confinement of the crystallitesis evident from the blue-shift of the absorption edge in the UV–vis absorption spectrum.