Epitaxial Electrodeposition of High-Aspect-Ratio Cu₂O(110) Nanostructures on InP(111)

Epitaxial cuprous oxide nanostructures with high aspect ratio were deposited electrochemically on n-InP(111) from aqueous solution at room temperature. High-resolution X-ray diffraction shows that the Cu 2 O and InP form three equivalent epitaxial orientation relationships that are rotated 120° relative to each other: Cu 2 O(110)[100] || InP(111)[11̄0], Cu 2 O(110)[100] || InP(111)[1̄01], and Cu 2 O(110)[100] || InP(111)[011̄]. The size and aspect ratio of the Cu 2 O nanostructures depend on the applied deposition current density. At a deposition current density of 0.125 mA/cm 2, uniformly sized nanostructures 30 nm wide and 1000 nm long were obtained. Transmission electron microscopy reveals an amorphous, oxygen-rich interlayer and a crystalline Cu 3 P layer between the Cu 2 O and InP.