Morphological control in solvothermal synthesis of copper sulphides on copper foil

摘要

Copper sulphides Cu_9S_5 and polymorphs of Cu_2S were synthesized apparently for the first time on copper foil through its solvothermal reaction with sulphur (the former being used both as substrate and reactant), with 75% fill of the autoclave with water, ethanol or ethylenediamine as solvents. Water as solvent produced micron-sized hemispheres of Cu_9S_5 (composed of much smaller particles of size ～5-6 nm), truncated by forming interfaces and exhibiting relatively large dihedral angles (80-120°). Ethanol produced fibre-like or thread-like (～40 nm diameter) morphological form of Cu_9S_5, generally woven into network-structures. Ethylenediamine, which produced Cu_2S (monoclinic), as also β-Cu_2S (hexagonal), assisted formation of hexagonal micron-sized single crystal rods with a hexagonal end face in conjunction with β-Cu_2S.