Fabrication and Growth Mechanism of Nano-Octahedrons: A Study on Cu2O Core-Shell Structures for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

This paper explores the process and growth mechanism involved in fabricating nano-octahedrons. Using two key components, CTAB and hydrazine hydrate, leads to the formation of octahedral shapes. A Cu _2 O octahedral core–shell structure was successfully created by employing a coating technique, and its performance in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) was thoroughly evaluated. Due to its high dispersibility in ammonia solution, Cu _2 O serves as an excellent representative for other components. Additionally, this chapter provides a detailed account of the production of octahedral nanocages through the ammonia etching method. Notably, the Cu _2 O nano octahedra demonstrate superior OER performance compared to commercial RuO _2 , exhibiting a significantly low overpotential of only 370 mV at 10 mA cm ^−2 . These findings bear important implications for designing stable core/shell nanostructures and hollow structures by implementing appropriate chemicals while also deepening our understanding of the formation of octahedral shapes.

Keywords

• Cu2O nano octahedra
• CTAB
• hydrazine hydrate
• stability
• OER