Structural and Morphological Characterization of CuO Nanostructure Precipitated by Water-soluble Copper (II) Nitrate Hemi(pentahydrate) and NaOH as Reactants

Authors N.A.S.K. Anuar1,2, C.K. Sheng1
Affiliations

1Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

2Faculty of Ocean Engineering Technology and Informatics, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

Е-mail chankoksheng@umt.edu.my
Issue Volume 13, Year 2021, Number 5
Dates Received 19 June 2021; revised manuscript received 20 October 2021; published online 25 October 2021
Citation N.A.S.K. Anuar, C.K. Sheng, J. Nano- Electron. Phys. 13 No 5, 05015 (2021)
DOI https://doi.org/10.21272/jnep.13(5).05015
PACS Number(s) 61.46.Df
Keywords CuO (8) , Nanostructure (19) , Precipitation (8) , SEM (112) , XRD (90) .
Annotation

In the present work, for the first time, a homogeneous sponge-like porous CuO nanostructure was successfully developed via an eco-friendly precipitation route. The product was obtained using copper (II) nitrate hemi(pentahydrate) and NaOH as reactants without thermal treatment or use of any additives and surfactants. The crystallographic structure, functional group and surface morphology of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD analysis reveals the formation of a pure and highly crystalline CuO monoclinic structure with an average grain size of around 23.8 nm. Besides, the FTIR result indicates that the characteristic vibrational bands appeared in the 400-650 cm – 1 range can be ascribed to the stretching vibration of the Cu–O bond. Moreover, SEM images of the CuO sample clearly demonstrate a uniform sponge-like nanoporous structure with fiber growth on the surface with pore sizes ranging from 70 to 90 nm. Hence, this fascinating structure could potentially serve as a catalyst for the destruction of pollutants as well as a solar absorber for capturing sunlight energy.

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