Synthesis of three-dimensional porous Cu2O microspheres by template-free solvothermal method

Three-dimensional (3D) porous Cu₂O microspheres were successfully synthesised by a simple template-free solvothermal method. Systematic studies showed that solvent, precipitator and temperature reaction parameters played a key role in controlling the morphology and structure of Cu₂O. The crystallisation, morphology and composition of the as-prepared Cu₂O was characterised by X-ray diffraction, a scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive spectroscopy, respectively. It revealed that the 3D porous Cu₂O microspheres were built from small 2D nanosheets with a thickness of 50-80 nm. Cyclic voltammetry was applied to investigate the electrochemical performance of the products. It was found that the 3D porous Cu₂O microspheres possessed high electrocatalytic activity. The growth mechanism of the 3D porous Cu₂O microspheres was proposed with a 3D molecule model.