Synthesis of Copper Nanoparticles Coated with Nitrogen Ligands

Abstract

The synthesis of copper nanoparticles was studied by wet chemical methods using copper sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO4·5H2O) and nitrogen ligands allylamine (AAm) and polyallylamine (PAAm) as stabilizers. The results suggest that the use of these ligands leads to the exclusive formation of metallic copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs). The use of partially crosslinked polyallylamine (PAAmc) leads to nanoparticles (NPs) with low yields and high coating content, while linear PAAm leads to NPs with high yields and low coating content. The chemical composition of the particles was determined by XRD and average particle diameters were determined by the Debye-Scherrer equation. TGA analysis provided evidence of the content and thermal stability of the coating on the nanoparticles and PAAm. The morphology, particle size distribution, and presence of PAAm coating were observed through TEM. The use of AAm in the synthesis of NPs could be a good alternative to reduce costs. By using TGA, TEM, and DSC techniques, it was determined that synthesized NPs with AAm presented a coating with similar characteristics to NPs with PAAm, suggesting that AAm underwent polymerization during the synthesis.