Synthesis and characterization of Cu3P hollow spheres by a facile soft-template process

Hollow Cu3P microspheres have been successfully synthesized by a facile ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) mediated solvothermal route using CuSO4·5H2O and yellow phosphorus as starting materials in a mixture solution of ethylene glycol (EG), ethanol and water. The formation of these hollow spheres is attributed to the oriented aggregation of Cu3P nanocrystals around the gas–liquid interface between PH3 and the mixture solution. The possible growth mechanism is proposed.