Recrystallization-Induced Self-Assembly for the Growth of Cu2O Superstructures

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2014-10, Vol.53 (43), p.11514-11518
• Main Authors: Shang, Yang, Shao, Yi-Ming, Zhang, Dong-Feng, Guo, Lin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cuprous chloride; cuprous oxide; nanostructures; recrystallization; self-assembly
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201406331

The assembly of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) into 3D superstructures with defined morphologies is of particular interest. A novel strategy that is based on recrystallization‐induced self‐assembly (RISA) for the construction of 3D Cu2O superstructures and employs Cu2O mesoporous spheres with diameters of approximately 300 nm as the building blocks has now been developed. Balancing the hydrolysis and recrystallization rates of the CuCl precursors through precisely adjusting the experimental parameters was key to success. Furthermore, the geometry of the superstructures can be tuned to obtain either cubes or tetrahedra and was shown to be dependent on the growth behavior of bulk CuCl. The overall strategy extends the applicability of recrystallization‐based processes for the guided construction of assemblies and offers unique insights for assembling larger particles into complicated 3D superstructures. A recrystallization‐induced self‐assembly (RISA) strategy was proposed for the growth of 3D Cu2O superstructures and employs Cu2O mesoporous spheres (diameters ca. 300 nm) as the building blocks. Balancing the hydrolysis and recrystallization rates of the CuCl precursors is key to the successful assembly. Furthermore, the shape of the superstructures can be tuned to obtain either cubes or tetrahedra.