Selective growth of Au nanograins on specific positions (tips, edges and facets) of Cu2O octahedrons to form Cu2O–Au hierarchical heterostructures

Abstract

This communication demonstrates a novel strategy for the selective growth of Au nanograins (AuNGs) on specific positions (tips, edges and facets) of Cu₂O octahedrons to form Cu₂O–Au hierarchical heterostructures. The surface energy distribution of the octahedrons generally follows the order of γ_(facets) < γ_(edges) < γ_(tips) and leads to the preferential growth and evolution of the heterostructures. These novel Cu₂O–Au hierarchical heterostructures show fascinating degradations of methylene blue (MB), due to the suppressed electron/hole recombination phenomena and the highly efficient light harvesting.