Surfactant mediated morphological tethering of Cu₂O nanoparticles

This communication describes a very simple and reproducible methodology to study the self-assembly of nanoparticles functionalized with a non-ionic tethering agent attached to the surface of the nanoparticle seeds. The synthesis starts with the [Cu(OH)₄]²⁻ species acting as a template, with varying concentration of the tethering agent Triton X-100 (TX100). The morphological alteration is systematically investigated. The effect of surfactant micelles, growth reaction time, and solution temperature has a tremendous impact on the morphology of the nanocrystals that govern the controlled synthesis of different shapes of nanostructures. The initial morphology of the nanocrystals is polyhedron in the absence of a tethering additive. The addition of TX100 suppresses the polymorph phase morphology and enhances the non-uniform spherical morphology of the nanocrystals. The surface modification effect enhances the morphological alteration, which potentially makes it applicable to various industrial uses such as water cleaning, hydrogen production, and third-generation solar cells. (paper)