Nickel nanowires with a mean diameter of about 95 nm and lengths of up to 26 μm were prepared by a chemical reduction method in aqueous solution under an external magnetic field. The self-assembly mechanism was investigated in detail. The results indicate that the self-assembly process of Ni nanowires consists of three stages: nucleation and growth, ordered alignment and self-assembly, and deposition on the surface and gaps between the nickel particles. The self-assembly phenomenon occurs only when nickel particles grow to a size of about 60 nm in the reaction system. This critical size, which is proposed for the first time, is very important to comprehend the self-assembly mechanism of Ni nanowires prepared with an external magnetic field.
Keywords: Ni nanoparticles; Ni nanowires; chemical reduction; external magnetic field; self-assembly mechanism.