Preparation of copper nanoparticles by radiation

Copper nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by 60Co-γ radiation with aqueous solution of cupric sulfate under inert nitrogen-purged conditions. Cu nanoparticles were characterized by using X-ray diffraction （XRD）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, laser particle size distribution analyzer （LSPSDA） and differential scanning calorimeter （DSC） techniques, respectively. The effects of solution system, pH, additive of surfactant and absorbed doses on the particle size and its distribution as well as stored stability of Cu naoparticles were investigated. High resolution TEM pictures showed the formation of homogeneous cubic-structured copper nanoparticles with different sizes depends on the synthetic conditions. This new kind of synthesis method shows the excellent stability, which may provide an efficient way to improve the fine tuning of the structure and size of copper nanoparticles.