Copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) represent a viable low-cost alternative to replace bulk copper or other more expensive NPs (e.g. gold or silver) in various applications such as electronics for electrical contact materials or high conductivity materials. This study deals with the synthesis of well dispersed Cu-NPs by using an Ar + H₂ microplasma using a solid copper precursor. The morphological analysis is carried out by electron microscopy showing particles with a mean diameter of 8 nm. Crystallinity and chemical analyses were also carried out by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. In the second step, the Cu-NPs were successfully deposited onto porous carbon nanotube ribbons; surface coverage and the penetration depth of the Cu-NPs inside the CNT ribbon structure were investigated as these can be beneficial for a number of applications. The oxidation state of the Cu-NPs was also studied in detail under different conditions.

中文翻译：

---

无表面活性剂合成铜纳米粒子和在 CNT 复合材料中的气相整合

铜纳米粒子 (Cu-NPs) 代表了一种可行的低成本替代品，可在各种应用中替代块状铜或其他更昂贵的 NPs（例如金或银），例如用于电接触材料或高导电率材料的电子产品。本研究涉及使用 Ar + H _{2合成分散良好的 Cu-NPs}使用固体铜前体的微等离子体。通过电子显微镜进行形态分析，显示平均直径为 8 nm 的颗粒。结晶度和化学分析也分别通过 X 射线衍射和 X 射线光电子能谱进行。第二步，Cu-NPs成功沉积在多孔碳纳米管带上；研究了 CNT 带状结构内部的 Cu-NPs 的表面覆盖率和穿透深度，因为这些对于许多应用都是有益的。还在不同条件下详细研究了 Cu-NPs 的氧化态。