Preparation of Nickel Nanoparticles by Direct Current Arc Discharge Method and Their Catalytic Application in Hybrid Na-Air Battery

Abstract

Nickel nanoparticles were prepared by the arc discharge method. Argon and argon/hydrogen mixtures were used as plasma gas; the evaporation of anode material chiefly resulted in the formation of different arc-anode attachments at different hydrogen concentrations. The concentration of hydrogen was fixed at 0, 30, and 50 vol% in argon arc, corresponding to diffuse, multiple, and constricted arc-anode attachments, respectively, which were observed by using a high-speed camera. The images of the cathode and anode jets were observed with a suitable band-pass filter. The relationship between the area change of the cathode/anode jet and the synchronous voltage/current waveform was studied. By investigating diverse arc-anode attachments, the effect of hydrogen concentration on the features of nickel nanoparticles were investigated, finding that 50 vol% H2 concentration has high productivity, fine crystallinity, and appropriate size distribution. The synthesized nickel nanoparticles were then used as catalysts in a hybrid sodium–air battery. Compared with commercial a silver nanoparticle catalyst and carbon black, nickel nanoparticles have better electrocatalytic performance. The promising electrocatalytic activity of nickel nanoparticles can be ascribed to their good crystallinity, effective activation sites, and Ni/NiO composite structures. Nickel nanoparticles prepared by the direct current (DC) arc discharge method have the potential to be applied as catalysts on a large scale.

Plasma Transforming Ni(OH)2 Nanosheets into Porous Nickel Nitride Sheets for Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution

“…Low-temperature plasma is featured for the unique combination of high chemical reaction reactivity and low thermal effect. − This unique feature has been utilized for material processing and modification, particularly to enable some reactions that are very difficult to occur in conventional conditions. Recently, there is an increasing interest in plasma-assisted techniques for nanostructure fabrication and modification. − Plasma surface nitridation, that is, treating a metal surface with N 2 plasma, is well-known for metal surface modification to enhance the abrasion and corrosion resistance. Recently, this method is adopted to prepare metal nitrides on Ni foam by treating Ni foam using 200–450 W microwave plasma at 300–450 °C. , TMN thin films with variable composition can be obtained by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition using metal chlorides in low-pressure N 2 –H 2 glow discharge .…”

Synthesis and Applications of Nickel Nanoparticles (NiNPs)- Comprehensive Review

“…In this method, a controlled electric arc discharge between two Ni electrodes generates a plasma, which disintegrates the Ni to form NPs in deionized water 48 . Fengmei et al, synthesized spherical NiNPs of 20, 33, and 63 nm, corresponding to the diffuse, multiple, and constricted arc-anode attachments where the arc was formed for 12 min in Ar at pressure 101.325 kPa and the arc current and electron gap distance was controlled at 100 A and 6 mm respectively 49 .…”

Sex differences in the acute and subchronic lung inflammatory responses of mice to nickel nanoparticles

“…Exposure to metals in the workplace and in the environment is frequently accompanied by co-exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a ubiquitous agent derived from gram-negative bacteria that stimulates neutrophilic lung inflammation (Bonner et al, 1998;Duquenne and Marchand., 2013). Nickel nanoparticles (NiNPs) are used in various technological applications such as catalysis, battery manufacturing and textile applications due to their characteristics of high catalytic activity, high magnetism, low melting point and high burning point (Pumera, 2007;Zhao et al, 2008;Mai et al, 2012;He et al, 2013;Ishizaki, Yatsugi and Akedo, 2016;Sharma et al, 2018;Su et al, 2018). Moreover, NiNPs are gaining more attention as they have the potential to be used in biomedical devices or chemotherapeutic applications (Guo et al, 2009).…”