Photocatalytic Growth of Copper Nanowires from Cu₂O Seeds

Abstract

This article describes the photocatalytic growth of copper nanowires from Cu2O octahedra. When exposed to visible light with an energy greater than the band gap of Cu2O, electrons excited from the valence band to the conduction band within Cu2O octahedra reduce Cu(OH)2– onto the octahedra to form copper nanowires. This phenomenon was used to turn nanowire growth on and off with visible light, as well as pattern the growth of nanowires on a substrate.