Synthesis of three‐dimensional porous Cu 2 O microspheres by template‐free solvothermal method

Three‐dimensional (3D) porous Cu 2 O microspheres were successfully synthesised by a simple template‐free solvothermal method. Systematic studies showed that solvent, precipitator and temperature reaction parameters played a key role in controlling the morphology and structure of Cu 2 O. The crystallisation, morphology and composition of the as‐prepared Cu 2 O was characterised by X‐ray diffraction, a scanning electron microscope and energy‐dispersive spectroscopy, respectively. It revealed that the 3D porous Cu 2 O microspheres were built from small 2D nanosheets with a thickness of 50–80 nm. Cyclic voltammetry was applied to investigate the electrochemical performance of the products. It was found that the 3D porous Cu 2 O microspheres possessed high electrocatalytic activity. The growth mechanism of the 3D porous Cu 2 O microspheres was proposed with a 3D molecule model.