Synthesis, characterization and catalytic activity of Cu/Cu2O nanoparticles prepared in aqueous medium

Abstract

Copper/Copper oxide (Cu/Cu2O) nanoparticles were synthesized by modified chemical reduction method in an aqueous medium using hydrazine as reducing agent and copper sulfate pentahydrate as precursor. The Cu/Cu2O nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Energy Disper-sive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). The analysis revealed the pattern of face-centered cubic (fcc) crystal structure of copper Cu metal and cubic cuprites structure for Cu2O. The SEM result showed monodispersed and ag-glomerated particles with two micron sizes of about 180 nm and 800 nm, respectively. The TEM result showed few single crystal particles of face-centered cubic structures with average particle size about 11-14 nm. The catalytic activity of Cu/Cu2O nanoparticles for the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide was investigated and compared with manganese oxide MnO2. The results showed that the second-order equation provides the best correlation for the catalytic decomposition of H2O2 on Cu/Cu2O. The catalytic activity of hydrogen peroxide by Cu/Cu2O is less than the catalytic activity of MnO2 due to the presence of copper metal Cu with cuprous oxide Cu2O.