Preparation of carbon nanotubes decorated with copper nanoparticles by microwave treatment

Abstract

In this work, microwave irradiation treatment has been used for the preparation of carbon nanotubes decorated with copper nanoparticles. A household microwave oven was employed for providing microwave irradiation to a suspension of MWCNTs dispersed in a solution of copper precursor which was CuSO4-5H2O. As a reducing agent, ethylene glycol (EG) was introduced to copper ions which were dispersed in MWCNTs suspension subject to microwave treatment. Effect of microwave irradiation power and irradiation time on morphology of the Cu/MWCNT composite was examined and reported. It was found that microwave irradiation plays a important role in the formation of the products; temperature was also found to be important in the reaction. At 166 and 194°C was suitable for preparing Cu2O and Cu nanoparticles, respectively. The microwave irradiation power and irradiation time also affect the morphology of the products. With the change of the reaction conditions, it is found that Cu2O and Cu nanoparticles on the surface of MWCNTs can be uniformly and agglomerated deposited on the surface of MWCNTs. The possible formation mechanism of Cu/MWCNT composite is also discussed.