Synthesis and electrochemical characterization of stabilized nickel nanoparticles

Nickel stabilized nanoparticles produced by an organometallic approach (Chaudret's method) starting from the complex Ni(1,5-COD)₂ were used as electrode materials for hydrogen evolution in NaOH at two temperatures (298 and 323 K). The synthesis of the nickel nanoparticles was performed in the presence of two different stabilizers, 1,3-diaminopropane (DAP) and anthranilic acid (AA), by varying the molar ratios (1:1, 1:2 and 1:5 metal:ligand) in order to evaluate their influence on the shape, dispersion, size and electrocatalytic activity of the metallic particles. The presence of an appropriate amount of stabilizer is an effective alternative to the synthesis of small monodispersed metal nanoparticles with diameters around 5 and 8 nm for DAP and AA, respectively. The results are discussed in terms of morphology and the surface state of the nanoparticles. The importance of developing a well-controlled synthetic method which results in higher performances of the resulting nanoparticles is highlighted. Herein we found that the performance with respect to the HER of the Ni electrodes dispersed on a carbon black Vulcan substrate is active and comparable to that reported in the literature for the state-of-the-art electrocatalysts. Appreciable cathodic current densities of ∼240 mA cm^-2 were measured with highly dispersed nickel particles (Ni-5_DAP). This work demonstrates that the aforementioned method can be extended to the preparation of highly active stabilized metal particles without inhibiting the electron transfer for the HER reaction, and it could also be applied to the synthesis of bimetallic nanoparticles.