Self-Assembled Copper Nanowalls into Microstructures with Different Shapes: A Facile Aqueous Approach

Copper microstructures assembled with nanowalls have been synthesized in aqueous solution at 200 °C for 24 h. Two different novel morphologies, microstructures with net and radial shapes, were obtained by controlling the concentration of the starting materials. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technologies. The formation mechanism of the morphology control over the copper microstructures was investigated; the addition of NaOH in aqueous solution and the choice of NaH 2 PO 2 ·H 2 O as the reducing agent were found to be important for the final generation of copper microstructures.