Template-free synthesis of Cu2O hollow nanospheres and their conversion into Cu hollow nanospheres

In this paper, Cu2O hollow nanospheres were first generated through a template free process, and then Cu hollow nanospheres were prepared using Cu2O hollow nanospheres as precursor and H2 as reductant. Phase identification and morphology observation of the products were carried out by X-ray diffraction(XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Field scanning electron microscopy (FSEM). The results show that Cu2O nanospheres generated at reflux are porous and hollow both in absolute alcohol and tert-butyl alcohol. It is feasible to fabricate well-dispersed Cu hollow nanospheres from Cu2O hollow nanospheres at 170 °C. Moreover, a remarkable blue shift effect was found in the ultraviolet–visible light (UV–visible) absorption spectra for both Cu2O and Cu hollow nanospheres.

Graphical abstractUsing Cu2O hollow nanospheres generated through a template free process as precursor and H2 as the reductant, Cu hollow nanospheres were prepared successfully. This method is feasible to fabricate well-dispersed Cu hollow nanospheres from Cu2O hollow nanospheres at 170 °C with H2 as reductant, and a potential way to fabricate other metal hollow nanospheres.