Controllable synthesis of submicrometer-sized copper crystallites with different morphologies

Abstract Pure submicrometer-sized copper crystallites with hexagonal, star-shaped and snowflake-shaped structures have been successfully synthesized via solvothermal treatment of CuSO 4 ∙ 5H 2 O in ethylenediamine (EDA) at 190 °C for 12–18 h. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to characterize the crystalline structure, size and morphology of the as-synthesized copper crystallites. It is found that reaction temperature, reaction time and reaction solvents all play important roles in the composition and morphology of the products. The possible reaction mechanism was discussed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Here, ethylenediamine can be used as a reducing agent as well as a coordination ligand.