Synthesis and characterization of copper nanoparticles

Nanotechnology involves research to discover new behaviors and properties of materials with dimensions at the nanoscale which ranges roughly from 1 to 100 nanometers(nm). This work describes a green chemical synthesis of various morphologies of copper nano/microstructures with a high yield in aqueous solution using ascorbic acid as a reductant and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), a cationic surfactant, as a capping agent at a low temperature (850C). The obtained copper samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and UV?vis spectroscopy techniques. It was found that the size and morphology of copper samples was influenced by the concentration of precursor salt (CuSO4.5H2O), pH and reaction time. By varying the concentration of precursor salt, pH and reaction time, different morphologies of copper samples, including submicron polyhedrons, micrometer rods, spherical nanoparticles and nanowires could be obtained.