Abstract
In this work we have optimized the γ-radiation induced synthesis of Cu-Cu2O particles from aqueous CuSO4 solution by investigating the effect of pH. The obtained precipitate was analyzed by XRD and SEM techniques. The results indicated that at solution pH lower than 3.75, quasi-spherical Cu agglomerates can be formed while at pH higher than 4.40 only octahedron-shaped Cu2O particles are produced. At solution pH in the range from 3.75 to 4.40, a Cu-Cu2O mixture is produced. It was found that the relative amount of Cu2O in the Cu-Cu2O precipitate increases with pH in the studied range. The influence of solution pH on the Cu/Cu2O ratios in the product can be explained on the basis of pH-dependent competition kinetics between the reactions leading to either Cu or Cu2O formation. As a consequence, the composition and morphology of the Cu-Cu2O precipitate can be tuned by controlling pH of the aqueous CuSO4 solution during the γ-radiation induced synthesis.
Highlights
Metal and metal oxide particles have received increasing attention during the last decades due to their catalytic,[1] magnetic,[2] conductive[3] and optical[4] properties
The aim of the current study is to investigate the influence of pH of the Cu precursor solution on the composition, conversion and morphology of the Cu–Cu2O precipitate obtained
It should be noted that the solution pH before and after irradiation was found to be similar within the uncertainty of 0.05 pH-units
Summary
Metal and metal oxide particles have received increasing attention during the last decades due to their catalytic,[1] magnetic,[2] conductive[3] and optical[4] properties Among these materials, cuprous oxide (Cu2O) has been investigated extensively since it is an important p-type semiconductor with a band gap of 2.2 eV.[5,6,7,8,9] Cu2O particles have potential applications in solar energy conversion,[10] photocatalysis,[5] biosensing[11] and organic synthesis.[12] The expanding application of Cu2O requires the materials to be produced with well controlled size, shape, morphology and composition. Yu et al.[15] prepared CuO/Cu2O composite hollow microspheres with controlled diameter and composition by hydrothermal synthesis using Cu(CH3COO)2·H2O as a precursor
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