Elucidation of the reaction mechanism during the removal of copper oxide by halogen surfactant at the surface of copper plate

Although copper nanoparticles have various attractive properties, electrical applications of these was not achieved because of its surface oxide layer which prohibited electrical conduction. Thus, it can be considered that a new elimination method of the oxide on Cu surface, which simultaneously provide the resistance to re-oxidized, should be developed. In this study, the reaction between the metal oxide on Cu plate surface and halogen surfactant was introduced into development as a new elimination method of surface oxide layer. Since electrochemical and surface analysis are effective for analyzing the reaction mechanism which expected to be the reduction reaction of the oxide on metal surface, Cu electrode, which represented material of Cu nanoparticles surface, was used for the reaction mechanism analysis. The oxide is removed by controlling the temperature and selecting the optimal combination of solvents and the halogen surfactant (TIC). Results of electrochemical measurements strongly suggest that the chemical reaction between the oxides on the surface with the halogen surfactant is a substitution reaction which converts Cu oxide to Cu bromide, and continuously formed Cu bromide was dissolved into solvent. Totally, the oxide on the Cu surface was successfully eliminated.