Ni-Al2O3 Nanocomposite with High Specific Surface Area Synthesized by Mixture of Fuels through Solution Combustion

This paper investigates the application of a mixture of three types of fuels, namely urea, glycine and hydrazine, for the synthesis of Ni-10 wt. % Al2O3 nanocomposite using the solution combustion method. Nickel and aluminum nitrates are used as an oxidizer. The fuels are used at two different fuel to oxidizer ratios. DSC-TGA diagrams prove hydrazine-nitrate reaction system can ignite before nitrate decomposition in contrary to urea-nitrate and glycine-nitrate systems. The results showed synthesized alumina at combustion temperatures less than 500 ºC is amorphous and the combustion temperatures more than 600 ºC made alumina crystalline. The measured surface area for the synthesized nanocomposite in air and less than 10 min was 207 m2 g-1. SEM and FESEM images prove the presence of small porosities in the synthesized nanocomposites. TEM image shows synthesized alumina in the nanocomposite has a mean particle size of less than 25 nm.