Study of the synthesis of copper nanoparticles: the role of capping and kinetic towards control of particle size and stability

The synthesis of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) by surfactant-assisted chemical reduction method was studied aiming to identify and quantify the role of kinetic and capping on particle size distribution. The use of a strong and a mild reducing agent (hydrazine, D-glucose) has been investigated as well as the use of three different capping agents: cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). Experimental tests were arranged according to factorial designs. CuNPs were characterized by XRD, FE-SEM and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Particle size distribution was determined by image analysis and significance of investigated factors was statistically assessed by analysis of variance. Under the investigated conditions, CTAB was found capable of preventing oxidation but it had a significant positive effect on nanoparticle size (about 40 and 30 nm); SDS determined a good size control but no stabilization, whilst PVP could provide both size control (significant negative effect of about 15 and 25 nm) and stability. Average size of CuNPs can be significantly reduced of about 50 nm by replacing D-glucose with hydrazine.