Reduced graphene oxide-cuprous oxide hybrid nanopowders: Solvothermal synthesis and electrochemical performance

Reduced graphene oxicle-cuprous oxide (RGO-Cu2O) hybrid was successfully prepared via a facile and efficient solvothermal synthesis method. The morphology and microstructure of the as prepared hybrid were characterized by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. The result demonstrated that well monodispersed spherical like Cu2O particles precipitate on the RGO layer. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) determined that the crystallographic structure of Cu2O is cubic and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that GO had been reduced to RGO in our hybrid. Moreover, the electrochemical performances of the as-prepared hybrid were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge/discharge techniques. It showed that the RGO-Cu2O hybrid had a high electrochemical activity, durability, and stability. RGO-Cu2O hybrid was expected to be an effective electrode material for formic acid oxidation. Published by Elsevier Ltd.