Facile synthesis of cuprous oxide nanoparticles by plasma electrochemistry*

Cuprous oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by plasma electrochemistry. In the plasma electrochemistry system, plasma was contacted with the solution as one electrode and a Cu plate immersed in the solutions as the counter electrode. NaCl solution was used as the basic electrolyte and glucose was added as a reaction mediator and/or a reducing agent. The plasma created many reducing and oxidizing species which can react with the Cu ions released from the Cu plate in the solution. Cu2O nanoparticles with an average diameter of about 30 nm were formed under the competition of reducing and oxidizing reactions. The results show that the concentration of added glucose strongly affects the properties of the products. Corresponding to high, medium and low concentrations of glucose, the products were, respectively, nanoparticles of amorphous Cu2O, polycrystalline Cu2O, and a mixture of polycrystalline Cu2O and Cu2Cl(OH)3.