Nickel oxide-silica and nickel-silica aerogel and xerogel nanocomposite materials

The sol-gel method was used to prepare nickel oxide-silica and nickel-silica nanocomposite materials and the corresponding silica matrices. Different drying conditions were used to obtain aerogel and xerogel materials. The samples were characterized by thermal analysis, x-ray diffraction, N-2-physisorption, transmission electron microscopy techniques, and infrared spectroscopy. Aerogel samples had a much higher surface area than the xerogel samples; moreover, different supercritical drying conditions gave rise to a different porous structure, which influenced the size and distribution of the nanoparticles in the matrix.