Synthesis of Ni-Ag Core-shell Nanoparticles by Polyol process and Microemulsion Process

Ni-Ag core-shell nanoparticles were synthesized by polyol process and microemulsion technique successfully. In the polyol process, a chemical reduction method for preparing highly dispersed pure nickel and Ag shell formation have been reported. The approach involved the control of reaction temperature and reaction time in presence of organic solvent (ethylene glycol) as a reducing agent for Ag cation with poly(vinyl-pyrrolidone) (PVP. Mw = 40000) as a capping agent. In microemulsion method, the emulsion was prepared by water/cetyltrimetylammonium bromide (CTAB)/cyclohexane. The size of microemulsion droplet was determined by the molar ratio of water to surfactant (${\omega}_o$). The core-shell formation along with the change in structural phase and stability against oxidation at high temperature heat treatments of nanoparticles were investigated by X-ray diffraction and TEM analysis. Under optimum conditions the polyol process gives the Ni-Ag core-shell structures with 13 nm Ni core covered with 3 nm Ag shell, while the microemulsion method gives Ni core diameter of 8 nm with Ag shell of thickness 6 nm. The synthesized Ni-Ag core-shell nanoparticles were stable against oxidation up to $300^{\circ}C$.