Synthesis of oxidation-resistant electrochemical-active copper nanowires using phenylenediamine isomers

Abstract

Phenylenediamine (PDA) was chosen as a coordinating, reducing, and capping agent to effectively direct growth and protect against oxidation of Cu nanowires (Cu NWs) in an aqueous solution. PDA was found to reduce Cu (II) to Cu (I) at room temperature, and stabilize the resulting Cu (I) by forming a coordination complex. The presence of a stable, intermediate Cu (I) complex is an essential step in the synthesis of Cu NWs under mild conditions. Incorporation of different PDA isomers leads to different growth paths of forming Cu NWs. Both pPDA and mPDA-synthesized Cu NWs are covered with a thin layer of polyphenylenediamine and show excellent oxidation-resistant in boiling water (3 days), and long-term stability in water at room temperature (10 months). The polyPDA-coated Cu NWs are electrochemically active even after a long-term storage in water. The usefulness of the oxidation-resistant electrochemical-active Cu NWs prepared here for a variety of nanotechnology applications is discussed. Keywords: Copper nanowires, Phenylenediamine, Anti-oxidation, Cu (I) complex, Electrochemical properties