Abstract
Copper oxide is used as a catalyst or catalyst precursor in chemical reactions that involve hydrogen as a reactant or a product. Controlled reduction and therefore known reduction kinetics of well-defined Cu-oxides in hydrogen is a key issue for the activation of oxide catalysts as well as for other technological fields such as gas sensing. The kinetics and mechanisms of reduction of single-phase CuO and Cu2O films in 5 vol% H2/Ar were investigated by in-situ real time synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction measurements. To this end, the incubation time, the CuO → Cu2O and Cu2O → Cu phase transformation rates, as well as the microstructure and strain state of the evolving Cu, CuO and Cu2O phases were studied during the reduction. Highly porous Cu and Cu-oxides scaffolds were obtained by alternating oxidation and reduction steps, which can be envisaged for a wealth of applications in the fields of catalysis, batteries, water treatment and biomedical applications.
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