Synthesis of 1-D cuprous oxide by using CTAB as a soft template in an acidic system

One-dimension (1-D) cuprous oxide (Cu2O) crystals were successfully synthesized via liquid phase reduction method using sodium sulfite (Na2SO3) as the reducing agent, sodium acetate-acetic acid (NaAc-HAc) as buffer solution and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as soft template in copper sulfate (CuSO4) solution. The products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). When the concentrations of the CuSO4 aqueous solution and CTAB are 0.075 mol/L and 4 CMC (four times critical micelle concentration), respectively, the optimal 1-D Cu2O were obtained. Based on the SEM images of the as-obtained samples, it was found that the concentration of CuSO4 aqueous solution played a crucial role in the formation of 1-D Cu2O. The length and diameter of the as-obtained samples are 5-10 mu m and 0.2-0.5 mu m, respectively. The morphology of the as-prepared product would not change after thermal treatment A possible mechanism was suggested to explain the formation of the resultant Cu2O. (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.