Morphology and texture of nanocrystalline copper prepared electrochemically from oxides

The electrochemical reduction of metal oxides provides an appropriate technique for the production of nanocrystalline mesoporous metals at room-temperature. Polycrystalline sintered CuO and Cu₂O single crystals were reduced to Cu in this study. Electron microscopy and diffraction results demonstrate the dependence of the metal microstructure on the preparation and post-treatment conditions. The size and microstrain of the crystallites are controlled mainly by the preparation temperature. This method enables the reproducible production of medium-scale nanocrystalline metals independent on critical process parameters.