DIRECTING THE BRANCHING GROWTH OF CUPROUS OXIDE BY OH- IONS

The effect of OH- ions on the branching growth of cuprous oxide microcrystals was systematically studied by a reduction route, where copper-citrate complexes were red uced by glucose under alkaline conditions. Different copper salts including Cu(NO3)(2), CuCl2, CuSO4, and Cu(Ac)(2) were used in this work. The results indicate that the Cu2O branching growth habit is closely correlated to the concentration of OH- ions, which plays an important role in directing the diffusion-limited branching growth of Cu2O and influencing the reduction power of glucose. A variety of Cu2O branching patterns including 6-pod, 8-pod and 24-pod branches, have been achieved without using template and surfactant. The current method can provide a good platform for studying the growth mechanism of microcrystal branching patterns.