Gelatin-stabilized copper nanoparticles: Synthesis, morphology, and their surface-enhanced Raman scattering properties

Gelatin-stabilized spherical-shaped copper nanoparticles are synthesized by a simple chemical reaction. The synthesis is performed by the reduction of copper (II) salt with hydrazine in aqueous solution under atmospheric air in the presence of gelatin as capping agent. Advantages of the synthetic method include its production of water dispersible copper nanoparticles at room temperature under no inert atmosphere and making the synthesis more environmental friendly. The synthesized copper nanoparticles are investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results demonstrate that the amount of gelatin is important for the formation of the copper nanoparticles. The resulting colloidal copper nanoparticles exhibit large surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signals.