PEG-6000 Assisted Growth of Copper Dendrites.

Highly uniform copper dendrites were successfully prepared in large quantities by a simple wet chemical approach using hydrazine hydrate as reducant in the presence of polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG-6000) at room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet (UV)-vis absorption spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction (XRD) have been used to characterize the obtained products. It is found that the architecture of copper particles is drastically influenced by the mass ratio of PEG-6000/CuSO4(aq), PEG-6000/N2H4 · H2O, CuSO4(aq)/N2H4 · H2O and the concentration of precursors. It is revealed that PEG-6000 might play both capping reagent and dispersion reagent roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]