One‐Step Hydrothermal Synthesis of a Porous Cu₂O Film and Its Photoelectrochemical Properties

Abstract

A cuprous oxide (Cu2O) film with a novel porous structure is successfully synthesized on Cu foil by using a simple hydrothermal method. A redox reaction occurs between Cu and Cu(2+) in aqueous solution to form the Cu2O film. The porous structures are formed as a result of the Ostwald ripening mechanism. In addition, photoluminescence measurements indicate that the porous Cu2O film may reduce the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. The UV/Vis absorption property of the porous Cu2O film is better than that of the granular Cu2O film, and its high photocurrent is expected to make the porous Cu2O film more suitable for solar energy applications.

Fabrication and characterisation of Cu 2 O nanorods array by anodic oxidation method

“…2 c , which were assigned to the Cu 2p 1/2 and Cu 2p 3/2 peaks at 951.8 and 932.0 eV, respectively. The two peaks correspond to Cu 2 O, as previously reported [14, 15]. XPS spectra of Cu 2p 3/2 measured part for the sample were displayed and the binding energies of different chemical species were marked in Fig.…”

“…The original O1s profile can be fitted to four peaks ( a , b , c and d , located at 531.3, 535.6, 532.5 and 530.0 eV, respectively). The four peaks, a , b , c and d arise from the O adsorbed on the surface of Cu 2 O nanorods, oxygen of water vapor, oxygen of hydroxyl or carbonate and lattice oxygen of Cu 2 O [15, 16], respectively. These data once again confirm that the sample was primarily in Cu 2 O phase.…”

Notable in situ surface transformation of Cu2O nanomaterials leads to dramatic activity enhancement for CO oxidation

“…As one of the earliest used metals in human history, copper is basically featured by its stable existent forms, such as Cu, Cu 2 O, and CuO, with multiple oxidation states under ambient conditions, which offers wide applications ranging from roong and plumbing material to electrical transmission and power generation. Among the popular Cu compounds, cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) is extraordinarily attractive due to its non-stoichiometric p-type semiconductor property 1,2 and its prospective applications in gas sensing, 3,4 CO oxidation, 5,6 photocatalysis, 7,8 photocurrent generation, 9,10 and organic synthesis. 11,12 It is believed that the physical or chemical properties involved in the surface or interface structure of Cu 2 O-based materials directly govern their performance.…”

Photocatalytic Degradation/Adsorption of Carcinogenic Azo Dye Disperse Red 176.1 by Nanocage Cu2o as a Dual Function Catalyst on the Visible-Light

“…The hydroxyl radical is more active than the free radicals such as •O2 − and •HO2 that also involved in the process of oxidation. The chemical reactions that cause the photodegradation of the dyes are shown in the equations (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16) As shown in the above reaction, traps such as O2 and H + prevented their recombination by trapping electron and holes.…”

“…Highly oxidizing copper (I) oxide nanoparticles are used in the degradation of many types of organic pollutants in wastewater, in the removal of heavy metal ions in photo-reduction [8] and photooxidation [9], as well as solar and photoelectrochemical cells [10]. For this purpose, Cu2O has been synthesized via different morphologies such as cubes, octahedra, polyhedral, nanowires, nanocage as well as quasi-flowers and hollow structures [11,12] with different abilities of degradation [13]. Cubic Cu2O Nanoparticles smaller than 100 nm showed absorption of around 490 nm and larger than 200 nm absorption within 515 -525 nm [14].…”