Synthesis and characterization of CuO nanowires by a simple wet chemical method

TLDR

CuO nanowires produced by this method are advantageous for industrial applications requiring mass production and low thermal budget. The study reports the synthesis of copper oxide nanowires with an average diameter of 90 nm and lengths of several micrometers. The synthesis was achieved using a simple and inexpensive wet chemical method. The authors found that precursor concentration and quantity are critical for one‑dimensional morphology, thioglycerol influences dispersity via surface stabilization, and FTIR, EDX, XRD, and XPS analyses confirm a pure‑phase high‑quality monoclinic CuO.

Abstract

We report a successful synthesis of copper oxide nanowires with an average diameter of 90 nm and lengths of several micrometers by using a simple and inexpensive wet chemical method. The CuO nanowires prepared via this method are advantageous for industrial applications which require mass production and low thermal budget technique. It is found that the concentration and the quantity of precursors are the critical factors for obtaining the desired one-dimensional morphology. Field emission scanning electron microscopy images indicate the influence of thioglycerol on the dispersity of the prepared CuO nanowires possibly due to the stabilization effect of the surface caused by the organic molecule thioglycerol. The Fourier transform infrared spectrum analysis, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, and X-ray photoemission spectrum analysis confirm clearly the formation of a pure phase high-quality CuO with monoclinic crystal structure.