Journal des nanomatériaux et de la nanotechnologie moléculaire

Fabrication of Cu Hollow Microspheres by Liquid Reduction Method

Liye X, Kuang D, Wenbin H and Deng Y

Fabrication of Cu Hollow Microspheres by Liquid Reduction Method

Cu hollow microspheres have been successfully synthesized through a two-step liquid reaction method. Firstly, Cu(OH)₂ precipitates were formed by adding CuSO₄•5H₂O into NaOH and they were reduced to Cu₂O solid microspheres by glucose. Then, PVP and allylthiourea were added to the Cu₂O suspension and they were further reduced to Cu hollow microspheres by hydrazine hydrate. The sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results showed the Cu hollow microspheres with average diameter about 800nm. The growth process of Cu hollow microspheres was proposed and the photocatalytic property in degradation reaction of methylene blue (MB) was also explored. It was found that the morphology and hollow structure of the Cu microspheres are highly dependent on the amount of allylthiourea added. Compared to the Cu microparticles with irregular morphology, Cu hollow microshperes show much higher photocatalytic activity in the degradation reaction of MB.