Patent ID: 7520915

Claim:
A method of preparing nickel powders characterized in that the method comprises preparing a first solution consisting of water and a base wherein the base is at least one of the following selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, tetraethylammonium hydroxide, tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide, dimethyldiethylammonium hydroxide, ethyltrimethylammonium hydroxide, tetrabutyl phosphonium hydroxide, trimethylamine, diethylamine, and ethanolamine with said base being dissolved in said water, preparing a second solution formed by mixing a polyol and a nickel compound, preparing a mixture by mixing the first solution and the second solution wherein the amount of water in the mixture is about 0.025 to about 2 times the amount of polyol in the mixture, heating the mixture with the nickel compound being reduced to nickel metal in the form of a nickel powder and the water being removed by evaporation, and separating the nickel powders generated during heating.