Controllable hydrothermal synthesis of Cu 2S nanowires on the copper substrate

Abstract

In this paper, a simple solution-based method has been applied to fabricate metal chalcogenide nanostructures. Abundant Cu 2S nanowires on Cu substrates are successfully prepared through the in-situ hydrothermal reaction between sulfur powder and Cu foil. It is observed that the addition of hydrazine and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide plays an important role in the growth of Cu 2S nanowires. A rolling-up mechanism of metal chalcogenide film is used to illustrate the growth of these nanostructures. UV–vis spectrum of Cu 2S nanowires reveals obvious absorption below the wavelength of 900 nm. The calculated band gap of Cu 2S nanowires (1.5 eV) shows obvious blue shift because of the quantum size effect.