Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of CuCrO2 laminar nanocrystals

CuCrO2 laminar nanocrystals were successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal technique. The nanocrystals have a quasi-hexagonal shape with a wide range of size distribution varying from about 10 to 80 nm and thickness less than 10 nm. The results of selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) data and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) indicate the formation of well-formulated, single-crystal CuCrO2. The dominant growth of nuclei is driven along the faces of {0 1 2}, and the growth along the c-axis is very slow, which directly results in the formation of CuCrO2 laminar nanocrystals. Optical properties of CuCrO2 laminar nanocrystals were investigated by UV–vis–Nis absorption spectrum, and direct bandgap was estimated to be 2.95 eV.