Nanostructured amorphous nickel oxide with enhanced antioxidant activity

Highlights: • Synthesis of nanostructured amorphous nickel oxide by a facile chemical route. • Enhanced antioxidant activity of amorphous NiO compared to crystalline samples. • Role of O²⁻ vacancies and high specific surface area in antioxidant activity. • Use of DC conductivity, XPS and BET to explain enhanced antioxidant activity. - Abstract: Nanostructured amorphous nickel oxide was synthesized by the thermal decomposition of nickel chloride–ethanol amine complex. The X-ray diffraction and Transmission Electron Microscopic studies established the amorphous nature of the sample. The Fourier Transform Infrared, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic studies of the sample revealed the formation of NiO. The specific surface area of the sample is measured using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis and the mesoporous nature of the sample is established through Barrett–Joyner–Halenda pore size distribution analysis. The antioxidant activity of the amorphous sample measured by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging is found to be nearly twice greater than that reported for nanocrystalline NiO samples. The estimated radical scavenging activity of the sample is correlated with the DC conductivity values measured in vacuum and air ambience. The enhanced antioxidant activity of the amorphous NiO is accounted by the increase in the concentration of O²⁻ vacancies and the specific surface area. The Ni 2p and O 1s X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic studies of the sample support the inference