Laser Irradiation Synthesis And Photo-catalysis Of Cu₂O Micro And Nano-structures

As a p-type semiconductor, Cu₂O has been widely used in solar cells, sensor, hydrogen production and so on. Because its advantages like low cost, direct band-gap in visible range, good photo-catalytic performance, Cu₂O has been recognized as one of the potential candidates to compete with Ti O2 though related research is just beginning. Since the morphology and structure of Cu₂O has great impact on its physical and chemical performance, synthesis of Cu₂O with high surface to volume ratio has become one of the most interesting aspects. Therefore, in this article, we have synthesized Cu₂O microand nano-structures by pulse UV laser irradiation, and have investigated the growth mechanization and the photo-catalytic properties. The main contents are as follows.（1） We investigate the impact of laser power, reaction time on Cu2O’s morphology and structure. The surface morphology and structure of Cu₂O were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and FTIR measurements. By varying the laser power between 140 m J and 300 m J the dependence of surface morphology and structure on the laser power was investigated. The growth mechanism of Cu₂O micro- and nano-structures was discussed by varying the laser frequency and irradiation time from 1 to 11 minutes. The change of the temperature and the PH value of the solution are investigated with the time going.（2） The photo-catalytic performance of Flower-like Cu₂O structures was investigated by comparing with commercial Cu₂O particles. The results shows that the flower-like Cu₂O structures have good absorption in the ultraviolet and visible range and better catalytic ability than Cu₂O particles which is due to the large specific surface area of flower like Cu₂O.