Copper nanowires prepared by the treatment of the Cu2S nanowires in a radio-frequency hydrogen plasma

The coinage metal nanostructured materials have been a research focus in recent years due to their potential applications in micro-electronics fabrication, biotechnology, and catalysis (Whetten, 1999). As one of the most abundant coinage metal on the earth, copper has been extensively used in chemical and biological industries. Copper nanoparticles have also attracted much attention after their successful preparation using colloidal and other methods. Here we report a novel method for the preparation of copper nanowires. Our synthetic method uses the straight and uniform nanowires of Cu2S as a template. By treating Cu2S nanowires in a radio frequency (RF) hydrogen plasma under appropriate conditions, the sulphur atoms are removed as a H2S gas, leaving behind the copper atoms in the as-prepared Cu2S nanowires, eventually forming copper nanowires