Synthesis and Characterization of a Flower-Structured Ferromagnetic Nickel Oxide Nanoparticle: Investigation of Photocatalytic Activity

Dhananjay Dey, Subrata Das, Mo

Abstract

Flower-structured nickel oxide nanoparticle (NiONP) with flower size ~ 400-700 nm and petel size (individual nanoparticle) ~ 100 diameter have been successfully fabricated via an optimized thermo-decomposition technique using a dinuclear nickel(II)-Schiff base precursor. The template-free method is facile and effective in preparing flower-shaped NiO superstructures in high yield. The NiONP is characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform IR (FTIR), and optical absorption spectroscopy (UVVis). Magnetic study reveals that the existence of super-paramagnetic (weak ferromagnetic) phenomenon in the synthesized NiO nanoparticle. NiONP has been employed as photocatalytic agent to degrade the organic dye, viz., Rhodamin-B (RhB) under visible light and by exposing to visible light for 1 h, NiONP degraded RhB dye nearly 100%.