Morphology‐controlled Electrodeposition of Copper Nanospheres onto FTO for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Using CuSO₄ as the copper source, nanostructured copper with four different morphologies was obtained by electrodeposition method on FTO substrates. The as‐synthesized Cu/FTO samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), Raman, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of electrodeposition potential and electrodeposition time on the Cu/FTO samples and the photocatalytic performance were investigated systematically. The results showed that the Cu/FTO samples were well‐crystallized and the morphologies could be changed from nanoslices to nanodendrites structure with the negative shift of the depositing potential. The electrodeposition potential and time have a significant effect on the amount of H₂ evolution. The obtained Cu nanospheres which were prepared at the potential of ?0.65 V for 600 s showed the best photocatalytic behavior. The mechanisms for the photocatalytic activities were also discussed.