Synthesis, transformation to octahedron‐like crystals, and gas‐sensing property of six‐horned nanospheres of Cu2O

Abstract

AbstractSingle‐crystal six‐horned nanospheres of Cu2O with a diameter of 760 nm in average were prepared in aqueous solution of CuCl2and NaOH by using ascorbic acid as the reductant in the presence of sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate (SDBS) at room temperature. The horn grows along the <100> direction, which is consistent with the protuberant direction of an apex of octahedron. The formation process of six‐horned nanospheres included two steps: the formation of Cu2O nanospheres via Ostwald ripening process, and the appearance of horns on the surface of nanospheres under low concentration of SDBS. As increasing the concentration of SDBS, the six‐horned nanospheres could be transformed into octahedron‐like Cu2O. And at the same concentration of SDBS, keeping the volume ratio of water and ethanol in mixed solutions as 1:1, Cu2O octahedra were obtained. Moreover, gas‐sensing property showed that six‐horned nanospheres of Cu2O had higher sensitivity compared with Cu2O nanospheres and Cu2O octahedra to ethanol gas (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)