Crystallinity integration of Co-precipitate derived cubic bunsenite (NiO) phase crystalline nanomaterials

A high-crystalline phase of bunsenite was synthesized using nickel nitrate hexahydrate as the precursor via a straightforward method. The Rietveld refinement analysis showed that the synthesized material is composed entirely of a 100.0 % bunsenite phase of nickel oxide (NiO). X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to determine essential structural parameters, providing detailed insights into the crystalline properties. The XRD patterns confirmed the presence of a prominent crystalline phase with cubic symmetry with lattice parameters a=b=c = 4.17622 Å and angles α=β=γ= 90.0°. The most intense diffraction at 2θ=43.479 corresponds to the (2 0 0) plane. The measured microstrain was 8.52 10 -5 with lattice volume of 72.837 Å 3 and average dislocation density of 5.723 × 10 -4 nm -2 . The bunsenite has atomic packing efficiency of 70.68 % and specific surface area of 21.08 m 2 /g. The nanoparticles exhibited predominantly spherical morphology, with an average particle size of 45.04 nm as determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM analysis, coupled with selected area electron diffraction (SAED), revealed that the bunsenite nanocrystals were primarily oriented along the (111), (200), (220), (311) and (222) planes, confirming the formation of single-phase bunsenite. In elemental analysis, only nickel and oxygen signals were detected, confirming the purity of the nanomaterials. The atomic percentages of nickel and oxygen were 65.58 % and 34.42 %, respectively. Improved crystallinity, along with supporting crystallographic data, confirms the successful synthesis of a highly crystalline bunsenite phase devoid of impurities within the bulk powder. • 100.0 % bunsenite phase and crystallinity 46.87 % • Cubic symmetry with a = b = c = 4.17622 Å, α = β = γ = 90° • Prominent diffraction at 2θ = 43.479 for (200) plane • Crystallite size 41.80 nm, surface area 21.08 m 2 /g and packing efficiency 70.68 %. • TEM-SAED reveal (111), (200), (220), (311) and (222) predominant planes.