Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of Nickel Nanorods

Nickel nanoparticles of tunable shape have been synthesized in THF, in the presence of hexadecylamine (HDA) or trioctylphosphineoxide (TOPO), in mild conditions and characterized by HREM and SQUID measurements. The formation of nanorods is promoted by a high amine content in the reaction medium. In contrast to what is observed for TOPO-protected nickel particles, the saturation magnetization of HDA-capped nanoparticles is comparable to that of bulk nickel, which demonstrates that the coordination of an amine ligand does not alter the magnetic properties of nickel.