Preparation and Characterization of Stable Dispersions of Ni Nanoparticles

Colloid stability of the suspensions of Ni nanoparticles has been investigated with adding polymeric dispersant in various organic media. We characterized the dispersion stability of Ni nanoparticles by means of visual inspection, transmission profiles measured by Turbiscan, the particle size distribution, and the zeta potential. 0.01 wt% of Ni nanoparticles were found to be optimally dispersed in ethanol among various organic media employed in this study with adding the dispersant (0.6 wt%-2 wt%). As the concentration of the dispersant increased, the particle size decreased in size from 300 nm to 200 nm due to less coalescence. The zeta potential values of the Ni nanoparticles in suspensions with the dispersant were greater than -40mV. Such stable Ni nanoparticle suspensions are attributed to the electrosteric effect of the polymeric dispersant.