Precision Synthesis and Structural-Optical Characterization of Nickel Oxide Nanoparticles via Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquid
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/mjfas.v22n3.5624Keywords:
NiO-NPs; chickpea extract; laser ablation; structural; and optical propertiesAbstract
A sustainable ligand-free pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) strategy was used to synthesize nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO-NPs) inside a chickpea extract liquid medium. A Nd:YAG pulsed laser was operated under constant laser parameters, including a wavelength of 1064 nm, pulse duration of 8 ns, and repetition rate of 8 Hz. The effect of laser fluences (LFs), ranging from 7.53 to
37.67 J/cm², on the structural, morphological, and optical characteristics of the synthesized NiO-NPs was determined. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analyses revealed chemically stable, spherical NPs with an average diameter of ~11.6 ± 1.1 nm and polycrystalline structure. Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy exhibited a strong absorption band at ~261 nm with a bandgap (Eg) of ~4.15 eV. The slight reduction in Eg with increasing LF was accompanied by enhanced band-edge absorbance and higher crystallinity, confirming the successful incorporation of bioactive capping compounds during laser-induced synthesis. Fluorescence spectra displayed a blue emission at ~450 nm with lifetime decay values increasing from 5.57 μs at the lowest LF of 7.53 J/cm² to 6.97 μs at higher LFs, indicating modified charge-carrier dynamics. The optimized NiO-NPs showed the scalability of chickpea phytochemical-assisted PLAL as a green and scalable route for creating multifunctional biofunctionalized metal oxide NPs. Thus, this work offers a sustainable and scalable route for developing high-performance, biofunctionalized NiO-NPs with tunable structural and optical properties suitable for next-generation optoelectronic applications.
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