Sintering of copper nanopowders under hydrogen: an in situ X-ray diffraction analysis

The reduction by hydrogen gas of the cuprite layer on copper nanocrystals and the subsequent sintering of the nano-particles were studied using in-situ X-ray diffraction and dilatometry. Spherical nanocrystals produced by evaporation and condensation have an average size of 35 nm, exhibiting a large surface curvature. Each nanoparticle is coated with a 3.5 nm layer of Cu2O, which is rough and disordered, as revealed by high-resolution electron microscopy. Reduction by hydrogen of this curved cuprite layer occurs at 363 K, which is ≈65 K lower than is observed on a layer supported by micrometer-sized or bulk copper with a flat surface. The reduction process and its effect on the sintering of nanopowders are analysed and discussed.