Mono-dispersed flower-like Cu-coated poly(vinylamine) hollow particles prepared by an electroless plating method

A mono-dispersed flower-like copper (Cu) structure was synthesized with an amine functional template. Firstly, poly(vinylamine) (PVAm) hollow particles were prepared and then a coating of Cu was applied onto the PVAm hollow particles by an electroless plating method. The shapes and morphologies of the prepared particles with and without the template were compared using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrated that PVAm/Cu composite particles were fabricated by coordination bonds between Cu and nitrogen in the amine group, and the shells of the PVAm/Cu composite particles consisted of cupric oxide (CuO). The PVAm/Cu composite particles showed enhanced surface area compared to PVAm hollow particles because of their sheet-like shells. Moreover, the PVAm/Cu composite particles showed high thermal stability in the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements.