Synthesis, growth mechanism and thermal stability of copper nanoparticles encapsulated by multi-layer graphene

Copper nanoparticles encapsulated by multi-layer graphene have been produced in large quantity (in grams) by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition at 600 °C with copper(II) acetylacetonate powders as precursor. The obtained graphene/copper shell/core nanoparticles were found to be formed by a novel coalescence mechanism that is quite different from the well-known dissolution–precipitation mechanism for some other graphene/metal (such as nickel, iron or cobalt) shell/core nanoparticles. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analyses showed that the copper nanoparticles encapsulated by multi-layer graphene with a thickness of 1–2 nm were thermally stable up to 165 °C in air atmosphere. Moreover, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy showed that the single-crystal copper nanoparticles, after exposure to air for 60 days, did not exhibit any sign of oxidation.