Synthesis of copper nanocatalysts with tunable size using diblock copolymer solution micelles
Abstract
Self-assembled solution micelles prepared from polystyrene-b-poly(4- vinylpyridine)
(PS-b-P4VP) and polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP), have been employed
as templates to synthesize copper nanocatalysts which are regarded as an excellent
catalyst system for 1D nanomaterial synthesis. We have demonstrated that uniform-sized
nanoparticles with diameters ranging from 1 to 15 nm have been generated. We have
revealed that nanocatalyst size can be rationally tailored by adjusting the interaction
between copper precursors and ligands and metal sequestration time. Ordered arrays
of copper nanocatalysts derived from depositing a monolayer of solution micelles exhibit
excellent thermal stability and do not agglomerate during the thermal treatment at
850 °C, typical growth temperature for 1D nanomaterial using the chemical vapor deposition
technique. High-density and aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes with uniform diameter
have been synthesized using the chemical vapor deposition technique. The average diameter
is 1.4 nm, which is on the same order of catalyst size, around 2.0 nm. The combination
of tunable size and spacing with superb thermal stability and outstanding catalytic
activity offered by this new copper nanocatalyst system will enable growth of high-yield
1D nanomaterials with controllable diameter and spacing consistently and reproducible
properties. It also paves a new path to study the effect of nanocatalyst size on 1D
nanomaterial synthesis and their properties. © 2010 American Chemical Society.
Type
Journal articlePermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/4076Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1021/jp9099545Publication Info
Liu, Y; Lor, C; Fu, Q; Pan, D; Lei, D; Liu, J; & Lu, J (2010). Synthesis of copper nanocatalysts with tunable size using diblock copolymer solution
micelles. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 114(13). pp. 5767-5772. 10.1021/jp9099545. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/4076.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
Collections
More Info
Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Jie Liu
George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Chemistry
Dr. Liu’s research interests are focusing on the chemistry and material science of
nanoscale materials. Specific topics in his current research program include: Self-assembly
of nanostructures; Preparation and chemical functionalization of single
walled carbon nanotubes; Developing carbon nanotube based chemical and biological
sensors; SPM based fabrication and modification of functional nanostructures.

Articles written by Duke faculty are made available through the campus open access policy. For more information see: Duke Open Access Policy
Rights for Collection: Scholarly Articles
Works are deposited here by their authors, and represent their research and opinions, not that of Duke University. Some materials and descriptions may include offensive content. More info