A Template-Free Microwave Synthesis of One-Dimensional Cu2O Nanowires with Desired Photocatalytic Property

One-dimensional Cu2O nanowires were successfully prepared with a template-free microwave synthesis. Neither a surfactant was needed (to induce the growth), nor a long reaction time was required for this method. The structural investigation confirmed the successful preparation of Cu2O. The morphology images showed that the radial size of the Cu2O nanowires was 10 nm. The possible growth mechanism was hypothesized according to morphology evolution and references. A series of time-dependent experiments indicated that as time increased, Cu2O primary particles grew radially into nanowires under microwave energy irradiation. The condition-variable tests revealed that the suitable quantity of NaOH played a vital role in Cu2O nanowire formation. The photocatalytic property of the sample was investigated by degradation of methyl orange under the irradiation of visible light at room temperature. Benefiting from its unique large surface area, 4 mg of the prepared catalyst degraded 73% of methyl orange (10 mg L-1) in 120 min.