Tunable Cu2O Nanocrystals Fabricated by Free Dealloying of Amorphous Ribbons

Abstract EN

This work discovers that Cu2O nanocrystals with controllable structures can be synthesized on surfaces of nanoporous Cu and amorphous ribbons by free dealloying of Cu-based amorphous alloys in acidic solutions.

Technological parameters, such as the acid, acid concentration, and dealloying time strongly influence the crystal size, structure and morphology of Cu2O.

Cu2O nanocubes are fabricated on surfaces of nanoporous Cu in the hydrofluoric acid treated alloy, while various Cu2O particles are tailored on surfaces of amorphous alloys immersed in hydrochloric acid for different time.

The increasing dealloying time and adsorbed oxygen improve the growth rates along the 〈1 0 0〉 direction of Cu2O crystals relative to that of the 〈1 1 1〉 direction, which is the key to change the shapes of Cu2O crystals.

The understanding of morphology evolution of Cu2O nanocrystals in this work is helpful in tailoring Cu2O particles with designable shapes and controllable properties in application fields.