Synthesis of Cu2O nanoparticle films at room temperature for solar water splitting

A Cu2O nanoparticle film using ZnO nanorods as a sacrificial scaffold was fabricated near 23°C, for applications in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Three chemical solutions were utilized to convert ZnO nanorods to a Cu2O nanoparticle film - solutions of CuCl2 and NaOH, NaBH4 and NaOH, respectively. The structural evolution from ZnO through Cu(OH)2 and metallic Cu to Cu2O phase was analyzed at each stage with X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectra. The energy bandgap was deduced from IPCE; the concentration of carriers and flat-band of a Cu2O nanoparticle film were obtained from a Mott-Schottky plot. Significantly, the Cu2O nanoparticle film exhibited a useful PEC response to water oxidation. This nanostructure synthesized with no energy requirement can not only illustrate a great prospect for solar generation of hydrogen but also offer a blueprint for the future design of photocatalysts.