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Using two different methods, Ru nanoparticles have been synthesized by chemical reduction of ruthenium nitrosyl nitrate in ethylene glycol using Poly (N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) as a stabilizer. In a one-step reaction, the average diameters of Ru nanoparticles were controlled in the range of 1.2–6.5 nm with narrow size distributions by changing the synthesis procedure and reaction conditions. In the seeding growth reaction, the Ru nanoparticle size was also precisely controlled by varying the seeds to Ru3+ ions ratio, ruthenium particles with different sizes (3.8–7.3 nm) were synthesized.

Nickel nanoparticles with uniform, monomorphic self-assembled flower-like microstructure were synthesized by reduction of nickel chloride with hydrazine hydrate in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in ethylene glycol under microwave irradiation. An appropriate amount of Na2CO3 was necessary for the formation of monomorphic and uniform Ni nanoflowers. Small amount of NaOH and a higher concentration of hydrazine were beneficial to the formation of Ni nanoflowers with a smaller diameter and a narrower distribution. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction measurements manifested that the as-synthesized Ni nanoflower was the assembles self-organized by hundreds of smaller primary nanoparticles with an average dimension of about 6.3 nm.

Conducting polyaniline-Al 2 O 3 composite nanofibers with varying conductivity was prepared by seeding with Al 2 O 3 nanofibers and oxidative polymerization of aniline. TEM and FESEM demonstrated clearly the nanofibers of PANI-Al 2 O 3 with average diameters of mean diameters of 37–52 nm and lengths of up to μm. The XRD diffractograms indicated that the nanocomposite has the emeraldine structure. The DSC and the FTIR studies showed that the nanocomposite was formed from interaction between the polymer and the Al 2 O 3 . The conductivity of the composite decreased with an increase in the Al 2 O 3 content incorporated.