Shape-Controlled Synthesis of Copper Nanocrystals In an Aqueous Solution with Glucose as a Reducing Agent and Hexadecylamine as a Capping Agent

摘要

In addition to Ag and Au, Cu is another metal known to exhibit localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peaks in the visible region when it is prepared as nanostructures. Copper nanostructures are also of great interest and importance for applications in microelectronics and catalysis. For example, Cu nanowires (polycrystalline, usually fabricated by lithographic techniques) are currently used as the interconnects in computer chips. Copper nanoparticles have been widely used as catalysts for water-gas shift and gas detoxification reactions. All of these fundamental studies and applications would greatly benefit from the availability of Cu nanocrystals with well-defined and controllable shapes, as well as in large quantity and good uniformity. However, due to the difficulty in reducing Cu~(II) or Cu~I into Cu~0 in an aqueous solution and the susceptibility to oxidation upon exposure to air, synthesis of Cu nanocrystals is still in a rudimentary state of development relative to what has been achieved for both Ag and Au.