Effect of Current Density and Magnetic Field on the Growth and Morphology of Nickel Nanowires

Abstract

One-dimensional nanostructures due to their unique properties and applications have generated special interests in MEMS and NEMS applications. There have been numerous methods developed to synthesize such 1D nanostructures. One of the most prominent methods is the electrodeposition into the channels in a porous material. It has been found that applied external magnetic field could improve and direct the growth of one-dimensional nanostructures in certain crystallographic directions. However, the nature and behavior of such structures and the influence of the synthesis parameters are yet to be fully understood. Our present work investigates the effect of the current density along with external magnetic field intensity on the growth direction of the one-dimensional Nickel nanowires. In the present study, Ni nanowires are grown using the electrodeposition assisted anodic alumina template method. The grown nanowires are characterized using XRD to determine the crystallographic properties. SEM was then used to characterize the morphology of the grown structures, while EDS was employed to study the composition. Present results clearly indicate that the morphological and crystallographic properties of synthesized nanowires are influenced by the applied current density and magnetic field intensity. Further studies employing Focused Ion Beam to prepare TEM sample are required to investigate the atomic arrangement of the synthesized Ni nanowires to further conform the present SEM and XRD findings. Keywords Nickel nanowires • Template based synthesis • Magnetic field • X-ray diffraction and electrodeposition IntroductionIn the past two decades, 1D nanostructures have received serious attention in NEMS/MEMS and nanotechnology applications. Researchers have studied numerous methods to synthesize 1D nanostructures with different shapes, morphology, size and materials resulting in exciting and fundamentally different configurations [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. So far, there are two major approaches in synthesizing the 1D nanostructures, which are known as "bottom-up" and "top down" approach. In "bottom up" approach, the formation of 1D nanostructure is through crystallization, where the evolution of a solid from a vapor, liquid or solid phase involves two fundamental steps of nucleation and growth. As the concentration of the building units (atoms, ions or molecules) of a solid becomes sufficiently high, they aggregate into small nuclei or clusters through homogeneous nucleation. Thus, with a continuous supply of the building blocks, these nuclei will serve as seeds for further growth to form larger structures. In comparison, in "top down approach", the formation of the 1D nanostructure is from the attrition of the bulk material to nanometer sized 1D nanostructures using techniques such as lithography [16], focused ion beam [17] and electrospinning [18].

Influence of boric acid (H3BO3) concentration on the physical properties of electrochemical deposited nickel (Ni) nanowires

“…Among various available method, template-assisted electrochemical deposition is one of the popular and well-utilized approaches [3]. This method is relatively straightforward [4] with controlled diameter, cost efficient and allows the duplication of complex topology present on the surface a template in a single step [5,6].…”

“…Ni nanowires with their ferromagnetic properties are of interest in numerous applications due to their lower cost, and they can be consistently synthesized via electrochemical deposition [16]. The properties of synthesized nanowires are significantly dependent on the synthesis parameters, such as solution pH, deposition bath temperature, magnetic field [17] and current density [18]. During the experiment, the boric acid concentration was varied between 5g/L, 37.5g/L, and 60 g/L to study the effect of different boric acid concentration during the synthesis on their physical properties.…”

Nanofluid as coolant for grinding process: An overview

“…With increasing the concentration of nanoparticles the degree of shaping and shearing increases. For this reason, Nano lubricants are able to reduce the cutting force with less power consumption [49,50]. Nanoparticles in the mineral oil impart their effect by combined effect of rolling and sliding at the tool-chip interface.…”

“…Nano-fluids has emerged as a promising solution to this problem. Friction, and wear result in the increase of energy consumption, and reduction in the life of mechanical parts [54,50]. Friction is a principal cause of wear and energy dissipation.…”

Electrodeposition of Co in an Amide-Type Ionic Liquid under an External Magnetic Field

“…Co, a ferromagnetic element, has drawn significant attention due to its excellent magnetic characteristic and outstanding performance in optoelectronics, high-density magnetic storage media, spintronics, drug and gene delivery, and immune magnetic separation. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Co has also been used as an important constituent of the cathode active materials for commercial lithium-ion batteries. Nowadays, the nanostructures of Co have gained vital attention for the production of magnetic and electronic nanodevices, magnetic sensors, magnetic access memories, permanent magnets, and functional materials because of their enhanced magnetic anisotropy and large surface area.…”