Synthesis of copper nanowires on the substrates in aqueous solution

Copper nanowire is a promising material in the electronic packaging industry. However, at present, most of the preparation methods of Cu nanowires growing on substrates are highly dependent on templates or need relatively high temperature. In this study, Cu nanowires growing on substrates are synthesized by both pulse current electrodeposition and electroless plating, which is both template-free and conducted under mild conditions. The final morphology and structure of the products have been studied by X-ray diffraction method, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope respectively. The Cu nanowires have smooth surfaces, with length between 10-30μm and diameter between 60-70nm. Moreover, the Cu nanowires have single-crystal structure of face-centered-cubic copper growing along the [100] direction.