Growth Mechanism of Seed-Mediated, Hexagonal Prism Copper Phosphide Nanoparticles

Copper phosphide (Cu3P) nanoparticles with a well-defined shape and size were synthesized using existing copper nanoparticles as seeds and trioctylphosphine (TOP) as the phosphorus source. The novel utilization of the seed-mediated method enables shape control and higher monodispersity, which are otherwise more difficult to achieve using traditional one-pot methods. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy were used to characterize the intermediate and final Cu3P nanoparticles to understand the growth. The phosphorization was a stepwise process, initiating at one nucleation point on the seed nanoparticle and growing in an epitaxial manner. The process was also found to be influenced by parameters, such as the volume of TOP and the amount of oleylamine added to the synthesis.