Growth behaviour of straight crystalline copper sulphide nanowires

We examine the growth process of the Cu2S nanowires on an oxidized copper surface. The nanowire growth is shown to be favorable on the copper surface with an appropriate degree of oxidation. We also found the presence of oxygen to be essential during the growth of the Cu2S nanowires. H2S exposure time affects primarily the length of the anaowires, and it affects the nanowire thickness to a much less extent. Ultrasound treatment converts the monoclinic Cu2S to tetragonal Cu2S on the nanowire surface, forming a core/shell structure. On heating, the monoclinic phase changes to the hexagonal phase at a temperature, which is lower than that of bulk.