Electrodeposition and electrocatalytic activity of Cu2O film on stainless steel substrate

The chemical nature of electrolytes, particularly anions, plays important roles in crystal growth in the electrodeposition process, and is responsible for the distinct growth behavior of crystals as well. In this work, Cu2O films with different orientations and morphologies were prepared through a simple electrodeposition approach onto stainless steel without any template or surfactant. A distinct change in the orientation of Cu2O film with deposition time is revealed via X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analysis. The morphology change in the Cu2O films tuned using different Cu(II) precursors is discussed. The orientation determines the crystallite morphology, enabling a direct control over the electrodeposition of Cu2O coatings. In addition, the electrocatalytic activities of the obtained Cu2O films in the degradation of organic contaminants in water are investigated.