Growth of Cu nanobelt and Ag belt-like materials by surfactant-assisted galvanic reductions

We demonstrate the syntheses of single crystalline Cu nanobelt and Ag belt-like materials via CTAC-assisted (CTAC, cetyltrimethylammonium chloride) galvanic reductions. The single crystalline face-centered cubic phase Cu nanobelt was prepared by reacting CuCl₂(aq) with Al(s) in an aqueous solution of CTAC and HNO₃. The Cu nanobelt exhibited a high-quality ribbon-like nanostructure with a thickness less than 15 nm, a width of 30-150 nm, and a length up to 10 μm. The belt-like Ag, with a thickness less than 10 nm, a width of 30-100 nm, a length up to 5 μm, and a novel single crystalline 4H structure, was prepared by reacting AgNO₃(aq) and Cu(s) in an aqueous solution of CTAC.