Electrochemical synthesis of snowflake-like brass nanorod structures

The aim of this study is to fabricate metal oxide nanostructures such as brass with a new and cost-effective method that can be replaced by common chemical methods contaminating the environment. Using recycled materials in this method is a meritorious issue. This work introduces a simple synthesis method based on electrochemistry to produce various brass structures. An electrolysis setup was employed to synthesize nanorods with a graphite electrode as anode, a clean brass foil as cathode, and hydrochloric acid as the electrolytic solution. Experiments were systematically performed at different voltages to achieve optimal results. The structure of the prepared samples was analyzed via SEM and EDX analyses. Unique structures of brass micro- and nanorods, nanoplatelets, and microplates were obtained. The most interesting structures were similar to snowflakes and needle leaves. This synthesis route can open new apertures in designing nanorod structures.

Automated summary

The aim of this study is to fabricate metal oxide nanostructures, such as brass, with a new and cost-effective method that can replace common chemical methods contaminating the environment. This work introduces a simple synthesis method based on electrochemistry to produce various brass structures. The results show that unique brass micro and nanostructures, including nanorods, nanoplatelets, and microplates, can be obtained.