Understanding of water-assisted template-free synthesis of Cu2O microrods

Preparation of Cu2O microrods was designed by a rapid water-assisted template-free method under solvothermal condition at 150 degrees C/2 h using copper salt, di-methyl formamide and water. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) revealed the existence of Cu2O phase in the as-synthesized samples. Morphological features showed the microrod (18-33 mu m length) architecture of Cu2O in the presence of excess amount of water (15 mL). The role of water contents on the microstructural evolution and optical features of Cu2O microrods was demonstrated. A tentative formation mechanism for the evolution Cu2O microrods was proposed. (C) 2017 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved