Production of fine particle copper powders

A process for producing micron-sized to sub-micron-sized copper powder comprising the steps of:

• 1) providing a precursor composition comprising copper ions and monoethanolamine, with the proviso that the mole ratio of ethanolamine to copper ions is at least 1 and there is less than 0.4 moles total of a low molecular weight organic acid and hydrazine per mole of copper ions;
• and
• 2) heating the precursor composition to a temperature wherein the copper ions are converted to copper powder, said powder having greater than 90% by weight copper and having a mean diameter of between about 0.02 microns and about 5 microns.

A process for producing micron-sized to sub-micron-sized copper powder comprising the steps of:

• 1) providing a precursor composition consisting essentially of copper ions, monoethanolamine, an inorganic counterion, optionally water, and optionally an reducing sugar, wherein the mole ratio of monoethanolamine to copper ions is at least 1:1;
• and
• 2) heating the precursor composition to a temperature wherein copper ions are converted to copper powder, said powder having greater than 90% by weight copper and having a mean diameter of between about 0.02 microns and about 5 microns.

The process of claim 22 wherein no common reducing agents are added to the precursor composition.

A process for producing micron-sized to sub-micron-sized metal powder comprising the steps of:

• 1) providing a precursor composition comprising monoethanolamine-reducable metal ions and monoethanolamine, wherein the monoethanolamine-reducable metal ions each have a standard reduction potential from about −0.30 volts to about 0.6 volts in water solution at 25° C., and wherein the mole ratio of monoethanolamine to monoethanolamine-reducable metal ions is at least 1:1, with the proviso that the precursor composition comprises less than 0.8 moles total of metal-reducing-organic acids and of hydrazine per mole of monoethanolamine-reducable metal ions;
• and
• 2) heating the precursor composition to a temperature wherein the metal ions are converted to metal powder, said powder having a mean diameter of between about 0.02 microns and about 5 microns.

A process for producing micron-sized to sub-micron-sized nickel powder comprising the steps of:

• 1) providing a precursor composition comprising nickel ions and monoethanolamine, wherein the mole ratio of monoethanolamine to nickel ions is at least 1:1, with the proviso that the precursor composition comprises less than 0.8 moles total of nickel-reducing-organic acids and of hydrazine per mole of monoethanolamine-reducable nickel ions and
• 2) heating the precursor composition to a temperature wherein the nickel monoethanolamine complex is converted to nickel powder.