Abstract:The copper nano-powder with diameter of 50 nm were prepared by thermal decomposition method using cupric (Ⅱ) tartrate as the source. In this study, the effects of different heating rates (1 ℃/min, 5 ℃/min and 10 ℃/min) on the phase and morphology of the products were studied. The as-prepared copper nano-powder were characterized by XRD, AFM and other characterization methods. The results show that the heating rate in the pyrolysis of cupric (Ⅱ) tartrate was the controlling factor for preparing copper nano-powder. The low heating rate could significantly reduce the thermal decomposition temperature of cupric (Ⅱ) tartrate and promote the purification and nano-crystallization of copper powders.