Synthesis and characterization of Nano NiCo2O4 by microwave promoted precipitation method

Abstract

Nanostructured spinel NiCo2O4 was synthesized via a facile and effective microwave promoted precipitation method with a simple post-calcination treatment. The crystalline and textural structure and morphology of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller techniques. The influence of several parameters on the morphology of NiCo2O4, such as Ni/Co mole ratio, amount of precipitation agent urea, amount of ethylene glycol (EG), were investigated, and the optimal reaction conditions (Ni/Co = 1.0:2.5, urea 0.30 g, and EG 30 ml) were obtained. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the prepared spinel NiCo2O4 has a regular porous nanosheet structure. The nanosheet spinel NiCo2O4 possesses a high surface area of 124.8 m2/g, a narrow pore size distribution of 3–10 nm, and a mean pore diameter of 5.4 nm.