Plasma-assisted speedy synthesis of mesporous Ag2O nanotube

•Mesporous Ag2O nanotubes were achieved by plasma treatment using corresponding Ag nanowires template.•Kirkendall effect had been involved in the speedy formation of the novel architecture.•The method for synthesis of mesporous Ag2O hollow structures demonstrated the merits of one-step synthesis, speedy fabrication time (<1 min) and low reaction temperature (at room temperature).

Mesporous hollow semiconducting materials have received much attention in recent years owing to their unique chemico-physical properties for applications in many fields. Herein, we firstly report a green, rapid, one-step route towards the facile fabrication of mesporous Ag2O nanotube via plasma etching of corresponding silver nanowire templates. Characterization by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) techniques indicates that phase pure cubic Ag2O nanotube with mesporous structure were formed. Time-independent experiments demonstrate Kirkendall effect involved in forming hollow structure at nanoscale in solid–gas reaction. This green and simple strategy is expected to be extended for the rapid fabrication of similar hollow metal–oxide nanostructure and device.

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