Effect of temperature on the growth of Cupric and Cuprous Nanoparticles in a wet chemical synthesis

Cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) and cupric oxide (CuO) particles were synthesized using a wet chemical surfactant free method at different synthesis temperatures from 25 °C to 60 °C. Morphology, size, and chemical composition of the prepared Cu 2 O particles were analyzed by FESEM, PXRD, and UV-vis. We discovered that the chemical composition of the Cu 2 O particles remained unaffected by the synthesis temperature. However, morphology and size of the particles showed a strong temperature dependency. This could be attributed to the temperature induced formation of CuO species from the copper hydroxide (Cu(OH) 2 ) precursor which also functions as copper precursor for the Cu 2 O particle growth. The cupric oxide species was determined to be the main cause for the formation of micrometer sized particles, whereas with the Cu(OH) 2 precursor species for the Cu 2 O particles nanocubes with smaller edge lengths as well as octahedrons were obtained. • Evaluation of the effect of the synthesis temperature on a surfactant free cuprous oxide synthesis. • Synthesis temperature dependency of the cuprous oxide nanoparticle morphology and size. • Understanding of the role of cupric oxide as precursor.