Copper nanostructures have aroused extensive research interests due to their large number of applications in phonology, electronics, catalysis, etc. Here, we have developed a novel single-step redox colloidal route to construct three-dimensional (3D) nanoporous Cu leaves. By tuning the surface chemistry of copper nuclei, the morphology of as-prepared copper nanocrystals can be adjusted from nanoparticles to leaves. The 3D Cu leaves own anisotropic nanoporous structure and exhibit surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) performance with an enhancement factor of similar to 10(6). The present facile and low-cost route to develop 3D nanoporous Cu leaves provides an efficient platform for achieving high-performance nanostructures for next generation photocathode applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.