The preparation, surface modification, and characterization of metallic α-Fe nanoparticles

α-Fe nanoparticles were prepared by reduction of Fe2+ using potassium borohydride in a simple ethanol/water system in the presence of surfactant. The in-situ modification of particles was carried out by taking advantage of a modifying solution containing Ni2+. The structure and size of the particles were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron diffraction (ED). Results showed that the in-situ electrochemical reaction between α-Fe nanoparticles and Ni2+ resulted in the formation of stable multilayer composite nanostructure. The cores of composite nanostructure were α-Fe.