Solvent free deposition of Cu on nanocubes of MgO

A novel physical vapor-based method was developed to deposit individual atoms and small metal clusters on nanometer scale metal oxide materials without using solvents. It consists of a chamber equipped with a magnetron sputtering gun and a rotating device designed to create a cascade of the nanoparticles and expose them to the metallic beam multiple times. This study investigates the deposition of copper on the surface of high-purity, single (100) facet exposure MgO nanocubes. Using this method retains the high purity and quality of the original MgO (cubic) powders. The properties of the as-deposited Cu/MgO-decorated materials were studied by using both structural and optoelectronic methods (X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and electron microscopy) and magnetic susceptibility. Structural and optical measurements reveal evidence that a new composite nanomaterial with identifiable crystalline (Cu, Cu2O, and CuO) and associated electronic properties is produced. Microscopic evidence using Z-contrast STEM images of the MgO surfaces show the presence of Cu species both on the (100) surfaces and on the edges of the cubic particles. Magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal a previously unreported behavior of the Cu-decorated materials unique to the nanometer length scale and the interaction of Cu with the MgO surface.