Synthesis and photocatalytic characterization of porous cuprous oxide octahedra

Porous cuprous oxide octahedra with a mean diameter of 1 μm have been successfully prepared with high yield via a hydrothermal reduction process at a low temperature. The growth mechanism and the influences of the poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) and citric acid have been discussed. And then, the samples were used as photocatalytic in the degradation of methyl red (MR). Thanks to the 3D architecture of the product, the photocatalytic performance has been significantly improved. We believe that the present work will open up to systematically explore ways to fabricate porous nanostructures and thus find use in a variety of applications.