We synthesized CuNWs by reducing Cu(NO 3 ) 2 with hydrazine
in an aqueous solution containing NaOH and ethylenediamine
(EDA), following the approach developed by Zeng and
coworkers. [ 13 ] Compared to this previous work, we have scaled
up the reaction by 200 times (from 0.006 to 1.2 g of CuNWs)
to demonstrate its potential for large-scale production.
The present difficulties in synthesis of one-dimensional copper are short length, nonlinear morphology, polydispersivity, poor crystallinity, low yield, and process complexity. In this work, we demonstrate that high-quality ultralong copper nanowires (90−120 nm in diameter, 40−50 μm in length; aspect ratio >350−450) can be synthesized in large scale with a facile aqueous reduction route at low cost. The prepared copper nanowires can also be used as starting solid precursor for fabrication of polycrystalline oxide nanotubes via direct oxidation in air.