Abstract
Dense and ordered Ni nanocones with regular spiral textures had been successfully synthesized via a simple and inexpensive electrodeposition process in the solution containing sodium chloride (NaCl), nickel chloride hexahydrate (NiCl2·6H2O), and boric acid (H3BO3). After analyzing the microstructure, a more optimized possible growth mechanism of Ni nanocones was proposed, in which the growth process was divided into local and global aspects, named multi-dimensional growth mechanism of global order and local disorder. In an area small enough, any subtle state changes would cause disorder of Ni atom arrangement, which made the local microstructure appear disordered, but from a macro perspective, the difference between two adjacent disorders caused by different statuses was too small to be well reflected, only when the difference in state was large enough can the change be observed in the macroscopic appearance, so the global was orderly. Meanwhile, we found that the microstructure of Ni nanocones would be controlled in the electrodeposition solution by adjusting the experiment parameters such as the concentration of NaCl, NiCl2·6H2O, and H3BO3, which indirectly determined the microstructure in a large extent via controlling the generation of intermediate products and the pH.
Highlights
When NaCl was used as a crystal modifier, the solution might produce complex ions, which could promote the conduct of electrodeposition
Combined with X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) patterns, we considered that some complex ions ([NixCly]z−), which still presented after the reaction and had poor high-temperature resistance, were generated in the solution during the electrodeposition process
The results have shown that the intermediate product was a special complex, which still presented after the reaction and had poor hightemperature resistance, and that Ni nanocones were pure Ni with fcc structure, grown mainly along (220) crystal face
Summary
Nanostructured metals with unique surfaces [1] were widely used in a variety of fields, such as surface modification [2], ultra-hydrophobic layers [3,4,5], supercapacitors [6], microelectronic interconnection [7], nanoprobes [8], solar cells [9], gas sensors [10, 11], catalysts [12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19], mechanical polishing slurries [20], diamond wheels [21], nanoscale precision surfaces [22, 23]. In order to overcome the defects of traditional preparation methods mentioned above, electrodeposition technology has attracted significant research interest and has experienced magnificent developments. It would achieve the target expectation even under the milder conditions for the electric field could increase the reaction rate [2]. The preparation of electrodeposited nanostructured metal surfaces did not require complex auxiliary equipment, which greatly reduced the cost and time. A great deal of research had been done on the preparation technology and formation mechanism of nanostructured metal surface topography via electrodeposition [30].
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