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Facile one-pot synthesis of bimodal-sized nickel nanoparticles in a solvent-directed reaction system

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Abstract

Nickel nanoparticles are an attractive ingredient for preparing metal-based conductive pastes. In particular, using a mixture of nanoparticles containing two different particle sizes as the paste fillers is an effective way to improve the microstructure as well as the electrical conductivity of the printed films after sintering. This study presents a facile solvent-directed chemical reduction method for the synthesis of nickel nanoparticles with bimodal size distribution in one-pot. Through simply adjusting the volume ratio of alcohol (methanol, ethanol or n-propanol) to water and nickel precursor concentration in a mixed solvent system (alcohol and water), the size and size distribution of the synthesized nickel nanoparticles could be controlled. The bimodal nickel nanoparticles obtained at a volume ratio of methanol to water of 2 were used as fillers for a screen-printing paste. After sintering at a temperature of 600 ℃, the printed film exhibited a compact structure with a relatively low volume resistivity of 167.3 µΩ∙cm.

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Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the technical assistance from Material Characterization & Preparation Facilities (MCPF) and Materials Service (MAT) in Materials Design & Manufacturing Facilities (MDMF) at HKUST.

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  1. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hongkong

    Shengnan Liu, Sze Kee Tam & Ka Ming Ng

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Correspondence to Ka Ming Ng.

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Liu, S., Tam, S.K. & Ng, K.M. Facile one-pot synthesis of bimodal-sized nickel nanoparticles in a solvent-directed reaction system. J Nanopart Res 24, 136 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-022-05520-5

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