Facile synthesis of hollow Cu2O polyhedron without template or etchant

Abstract Previously, hollow Cu 2 O configurations have been fabricated with the use of template or etchant. However, in this study, simply mixing aqueous sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), CuCl 2 , NaOH, and NH 2 OH·HCl in the order listed, Cu 2 O polyhedron with empty interior arise, which is rarely reported. Observations made on the novel particles confirm the hollow polyhedral feature and reveal that the uniform particles exhibit a narrow size distribution at around 300–400 nm in diameter and ca. 50 nm in wall thickness. It was recorded that, upon the addition of reductant (NH 2 OH·HCl), the solution color changed orderly from light blue to green, yellow, and then orange within 1 h, while the basic mixture solution turned to acid immediately. We have reason to attribute the formation of hollow polyhedron to the surfactant role of SDS and the co-etching effect of oxidative etching and acidic etching, acting on dissolving Cu 2 O nanocrystals via oxidation with oxygen and reaction with HCl (from NH 2 OH·HCl).