Obtaining of copper nanoparticles in combined RF+DC discharge plasma

Abstract

Copper nanoparticles attract great attention as a subject of research because of their well-known properties, such as good conductivity, antibacterial and catalytic effects, etc. They are used in many different fields such as medicine, electronics, scientific research, etc. There are various methods for obtaining Cu nanoparticles, chemical, electrochemical, sonochemical, etc. These methods often lead to contamination, including nanoparticles. In this work, a combined HF + DC discharge was used to obtain copper nanoparticles. The optimal plasma parameters for the synthesis of copper nanoparticles were determined. Methods for the synthesis of copper nanoparticles and the dependence of their growth on the plasma parameters and the DC voltage were developed and investigated. The nanoparticles obtained were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The synthesised nanoparticles consist of Cu nanoparticles having a spherical shape with a diameter from 60 nm to 300 nm.