Controlled synthesis of CuO nanostructures by a simple solution route

A simple solution route has been developed to prepare nanostructured CuO with Cu(NO₃)₂·3H₂O and NaOH as starting materials. CuO nanoribbons or nanorods and their assemblies into hierarchical structures have been synthesized, respectively, by controlling the molar ratio of NaOH to Cu(NO₃)₂, reaction temperature and the concentration of the starting NaOH solution. Experiments demonstrate that the molar ratio of NaOH to Cu(NO₃)₂ is an important parameter which may decide whether CuO exists in nanoribbons (nanorods) or assemblies into hierarchical structures. Whether Cu(NO₃)₂ is dissolved in ethanol or water also influences the formation of monodispersed CuO nanoribbons (nanorods). The growth mechanism of these nanostructures is discussed. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and their optical absorption spectra were also studied.     

吸附法制备CuO-Ag/SiO2纳米复合物

利用吸附法原位制备CuO/SiO2、CuO-Ag/SiO2纳米复合物,研究了不同吸附质体系中预负载的纳米Ag粒子对CuO的影响。结果表明:Ag粒子对CuO的影响因吸附质的不同而不同。以Cu(Ac)2为吸附质,纳米Ag几乎没有影响;以NaOH为吸附质,纳米Ag使得CuO的晶粒粒径增大。这一结果与铜物种对Ag晶粒粒径的影响规律完全不同。通过比较不同吸附质的吸附行为,Cu(OH)2与硅胶表面的相互作用被认为是导致这一现象的原因。     

Copper oxide nanostructures: Controlled synthesis and their catalytic performance

Oval-plate-like, sphere-like, bundle-like and plate-like copper oxide (CuO) nanostructures were prepared by hydrothermal method using Cu(CH₃COO)₂·H₂O and NaOH as the reagents in the absence of any surfactants or templates. The morphology and structure of CuO nanostructures could be easily tailored by adjusting the amount of NaOH. The catalytic activity of the as-prepared CuO nanostructures was demonstrated by catalytic oxidation of methylene blue (MB) in presence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The oval-plate-like CuO exhibited better catalytic activity and which was mainly attributed to the larger specific surface area.     

Synthesis of Copper Oxide Hierarchical Nanostructures

The copper oxide (CuO) hierarchical nanostructures were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal reaction, using copper(II) acetylacetonate and NaOH as the reactants. The morphologies of CuO nanostructures are strongly influenced by the dosage of copper(II) acetylacetonate, alkali concentration and reaction temperature. The possible formation process was also discussed on the basis of time‐dependent experiments. This simple solution‐phase method may be useful for morphological synthesis of other oxides nanocrystals.     

Corrosion resistance of molybdenum silicides in aqueous solutions

The corrosion performance of Mo-22Si and Mo-25Si alloys in 0.5 M sodium chloride (NaCl) and 0.5 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solutions, at room temperature, was evaluated using electrochemical techniques. In 0.5 M NaCl, additionally, the effect of solution pH (3, 7 and 10) and concentration (0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 M) was studied using techniques such as potentiodynamic polarization curves, linear polarization resistance and electrochemical noise in current. The alloy contained either -Mo or Mo₅Si₃ phases in a Mo₃Si matrix. Polarization results showed that only the alloys containing 22Si developed a passive film in 0.5 M NaOH solution, whereas the alloy containing 25Si was passivated only in 0.5 M NaCl, pH 10 solution. In 0.5 M NaCl, pH 7 and 0.5 M NaOH solutions, the alloy with 25Si was the one with the highest corrosion rate, whereas the one containing 22Si was the most corrosion resistant. In NaCl solutions, the alloys exhibited a localized type of corrosion, but not in NaOH solutions. Alkaline NaCl solutions increased the corrosion rate of the 75Mo-25Si alloy with respect to acidic or neutral solutions, whereas diluted (0.1 M) or concentrated (1.0 M) NaCl solutions produced lower corrosion rates than the 0.5 M NaCl solution. Some localized type of corrosion occurred in the NaCl solutions, due to a selective corrosion of the -Mo and Mo₅Si₃ phases with respect to the Mo₃Si matrix.     

Copper hydroxide nanoneedle and nanotube arrays fabricated by anodization of copper

Cu(OH)2 nanoneedle and nanotube arrays were electrochemically synthesized by anodization of a copper foil in an aqueous solution of KOH. The nanoneedles and nanotubes were constructed from nanosheets of Cu(OH)2. Controlling the electrochemical conditions can qualitatively modulate the lengths, amounts, and shapes of Cu(OH)2 nanostructures. The composition of as-prepared Cu(OH)2 nanostructures has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction and select-area electron diffraction. The influences of the KOH concentration of the aqueous electrolyte, the reaction temperature, and current density on the morphology of Cu(OH)2 nanostructures were investigated, and the formation mechanism of the nanostructures is discussed. Furthermore, Cu(OH)2 nanoneedles can be successfully transformed to CuO nanoneedles with little morphology change by heating. This work developed a simple, clean, and effective route for fabrication of large area Cu(OH)2 or CuO nanostructured films.     

Hierarchical Titanate Nanostructures through Hydrothermal Treatment of Commercial Titania Powders

Hierarchical titanate nanostructures were hydrothermally synthesized in concentrated base solutions using commercial titania powders as starting materials. By varying the base concentration, nanowire arrays, flowers of nanosheets and nanotubes, and urchin‐like nanostructures of nanowires and nanotubes were sequentially fabricated. If the NaOH concentration was higher than 6 M , hydrated Na₂Ti₆O₁₃ nanowire arrays, with nanowire diameters of 20–90 nm and an aspect ratio of 1100–5000, were produced at suitable reaction temperatures over a large area. In 10 M KOH solutions, aligned nanowires with a diameter of 30 nm and a lenght of 80 μm formed. In 4 M NaOH solutions, micrometer‐sized flowers of nanotubes and nanosheets formed. Reactions in 2 M NaOH solutions produced urchin‐like materials with a size of ca. 10 μm that were composed of nanotubes and nanowires. The adsorption behavior of the urchin‐like materials resembled macroporous materials with micropores. Since both base concentration and reaction temperature affected the reaction rate, the formation of various titanate nanostructures was proposed as a growth speed controlled process.     

Controlled reactions on a copper surface: synthesis and characterization of nanostructured copper compound films

We report the synthesis of nanostructured copper compound films on a copper surface under mild conditions. A series of low-dimensional structures including Cu(OH)(2) fibers and scrolls, CuO sheets and whiskers, and Cu(2)(OH)(2)CO(3) rods have been successfully grown on the copper surfaces at ambient temperature and pressure. Most of the structures are phase-pure single crystallites. The films were formed by the direct oxidation of copper in aqueous solutions of NaOH with an oxidant (NH(4))(2)S(2)O(8). The evolution of the ultrafine structures as a function of the reaction conditions has been revealed, from fibers of Cu(OH)(2) to scrolls of Cu(OH)(2) to sheets or whiskers of CuO. By replacing NaOH with NaHCO(3) in the synthesis, square/rectangular rod arrays of Cu(2)(OH)(2)CO(3) were obtained. The controlled reactions allow the large-scale, template-free, cost-effective synthesis of copper compound films with ordered, uniform, stable, ultrafine structures.     

Dealloying to Nanoporous Silver and Its Implementation as a Template Material for Construction of Nanotubular Mesoporous Bimetallic Nanostructures

Nanoporous silver (NPS) is fabricated by selectively dissolving Al from AgAl alloys in corrosive electrolytes at room temperature. Electron spectroscopy characterizations demonstrate that the NaOH electrolyte is beneficial to the formation of a three‐dimensional bicontinuous porous nanostructure with uniform and tunable pore and ligament dimensions of a few tens of nanometers, while processing in HCl electrolyte easily lead to coarsened porous nanostructures. The high‐surface‐area Ag nanostructures are demonstrated as novel effective template materials to the construction of nanotubular mesoporous Pt/Ag and Pd/Ag alloy structures, which are realized via room temperature galvanic replacement reactions with H₂PtCl₆ and K₂PdCl₄ solutions by adding a high concentration of Cl^? ions as a coordinating agent. Electrochemical measurements indicate that the resulting hollow and porous bimetallic nanostructures show enhanced electrocatalytic activities and CO‐tolerance with better durability toward methanol and formic acid oxidation due to alloying with Ag.     

Microwave‐Assisted Synthesis and Characterization of CuO Nanocrystals

CuO feather‐like and flower‐like crystals have been synthesized by a fast microwave‐assisted solution approach using Cu(NO₃)₂ and NaOH. The morphology transformation of CuO could be achieved by ionic liquid 1‐n‐butyl‐3‐methyl imidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIM]BF₄). With [BMIM]BF₄, flower‐like CuO were obtained, whereas without [BMIM]BF₄, feather‐like CuO were obtained. The possible formation mechanism of flower‐like CuO was discussed on the basis of experimental results. The products were characterized by XRD, FESEM/EDS, and TEM/SAED. In addition, the adsorption of [BMIM]BF₄ on flower‐like CuO was confirmed by FTIR and TG/DSC, and the band gap energies of the flower‐like CuO was estimated by UV‐vis spectra.     

Copper-based metal–organic framework decorated by CuO hair-like nanostructures: Electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction

We report a Cu-based metal–organic framework (MOF) decorated by CuO nanostructures as an efficient catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). MIL-53(Cu) was synthesized by a hydrothermal approach using 1,4-bezenedicarboxylic acid as organic precursor and further annealed at 300°C to form CuO nanostructures on its surface. The produced electrocatalyst, CuO@MIL-53(Cu), was characterized using various techniques. Under alkaline conditions, the developed electrocatalyst exhibited an overpotential of 801 and 336 mV versus RHE at 10 and 1 mA cm⁻², respectively. The reproducibility of the catalytic performance was validated using several electrodes. It was confirmed that the CuO hair-like nanostructures grown on MIL-53(Cu) using thermal treatment exhibit high OER activity, good kinetics and durability. CuO@MIL-53(Cu) is an economic noble-metal-free OER electrocatalyst. It has potential for application as anode material for sustainable energy technologies like batteries, fuel cells and water electrolysis.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of peony-like CuO micro/nanostructures for high-performance lithium-ion battery anodes

The peony-like CuO micro/nanostructures were fabricated by a facile hydrothermal approach. The peonylike CuO micro/nanostructures about 3-5 μm in diameter were assembled by CuO nanoplates. These CuO nanoplates, as the building block, were self-assembled into multilayer structures under the action of ethidene diamine, and then grew into uniform peony-like CuO architecture. The novel peony-like CuO micro/nanostructures exhibit a high cycling stability and improved rate capability. The peony-like CuO micro/nanostructures electrodes show a high reversible capacity of 456 mAh/g after 200 cycles, much higher than that of the commercial CuO nanocrystals at a current 0.1 C. The excellent electrochemical performance of peony-like CuO micro/nanostructures might be ascribed to the unique assembly structure, which not only provide large electrode/electrolyte contact area to accelerate the lithiation reaction, but also the interval between the multilayer structures of CuO nanoplates electrode could provide enough interior space to accommodate the volume change during Li~+ insertion and de-insertion process.     

Water structure and electron trapping in aqueous ionic solutions

The optical absorption spectra observed by pulse radiolysis of alkaline (NaOH, KOH, RbOH), chloride (LiCl, MgCl₂, CaCl₂, NaCl, KCl) and perchloride (NaClO₄) solutions at temperature 298 K are reported. Some measurements were performed at low temperature with aqueous ionic glasses. With increasing concentration of the above solutes a uniform blue-shift of the maximum of the solvated electron (e¯_sol) absorption band is observed. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was so used to examine the properties of water in several concentrated electrolyte solutions. It is shown that some inorganic electrolytes (e.g. NaOH, NaClO₄) substantially change the water structure whereas some others (e.g. LiCl, CaCl₂) influence water structure insignificantly. The correlation between the ability of excess electron trapping in electrolyte solutions and water structure deduced from NIR spectroscopy is discussed.     

Room temperature electrochemical synthesis of CuO flower-like microspheres and their electrooxidative activity towards hydrogen peroxide

We describe a facile electrochemical route for the synthesis of CuO flower-like microspheres (CuO FMs) by anodic dissolution of bulk Cu in sodium hydroxide solution at room temperature and without heating. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction revealed that the CuO FMs are phase-pure monoclinic crystallites and comprised of CuO nanoflakes. The concentration of NaOH has a large effect on the size of the CuO FMs. The possible formation mechanism is discussed. The CuO FMs are electrocatalytically active towards the oxidation of H₂O₂, and this has resulted in a sensor for H₂O₂. To our knowledge, this is the simplest way to obtain clean CuO FMs.

Inorganic-organic chain assemblies as lamellar nanoreactors for growing one-dimensional Cu(OH)2 and CuO nanostructures

One-dimensional Cu(OH)(2) or CuO nanostructures were fabricated using inorganic-organic chain assemblies, Cu(C(n)H(2n+1)X)(2)·nH(2)O (X = CO(2), SO(4)) as a lamellar nanoreactor, along with NaOH treatment. The shapes and aspect ratios of the Cu(OH)(2) or CuO nanostructures could be varied by adjusting the hydrophobicity of the lamellar nanoreactors.     

Click approach to the three‐component synthesis of novel β‐hydroxy‐1,2,3‐triazoles catalysed by new (Cu/Cu2O) nanostructure as a ligand‐free,green and regioselective nanocatalyst in water

Copper nanostructures were produced as an effective and regioselective catalyst for the synthesis of 1,2,3‐triazoles from a wide range of raw materials, such as sodium azide, epoxides and terminal alkynes, in water via a one‐pot three‐component click reaction. The new heterogeneous catalyst was prepared by a simple ball mill reduction of CuO with NaBH₄ using a ball‐to‐powder weight ratio of 50:1 under air atmosphere at room temperature. The catalyst was fully characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction. The copper nanostructures catalysed both ring opening and triazole cyclization steps. Products were obtained in high yields and short reaction times. The reactions were performed at ambient temperature in water as a green solvent. The Cu/Cu₂O nanostructures revealed high reusability and high stability via a simple recycling process.     

One-step green synthesis of cuprous oxide crystals with truncated octahedra shapes via a high pressure flux approach

Cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) was synthesized via reactions between cupric oxide (CuO) and copper metal (Cu) at a low temperature of 300 °C. This progress is green, environmentally friendly and energy efficient. Cu₂O crystals with truncated octahedra morphology were grown under high pressure using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) with a molar ratio of 1:1 as a flux. The growth mechanism of Cu₂O polyhedral microcrystals are proposed and discussed.     

Novel route to synthesize CuO nanoplatelets

A new synthesis route to obtain high-purity cupric oxide, CuO, using the hydrothermal reaction of copper sulfide and a NaOH solution in an oxygen atmosphere has been developed. The synthesized products showed nanoplatelet-like morphologies with rectangular cross-sections and dimensions at the nanometric scale. Variations in the oxygen partial pressure and synthesis temperature produced changes in size and shape, being found that the proliferation of nanoplatelet structures occurred at 200 °C and 30 bar.     

Microplasma-assisted synthesis of CuO nanostructures for catalytic degradation of organic dyes under solar irradiation

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - In this research work, CuO nanostructures were synthesized using atmospheric pressure microplasma (AMP) electrochemical process. The synthesized CuO...     

Corallocarpus epigaeus mediated synthesis of ZnO/CuO integrated ZrO2 nanoparticles for enhanced in-vitro antibacterial,antifungal and antidiabetic activities

Zirconia based nanocomposites have attracted much research attention in recent years due to their exceptional biomedicinal activities. Rhizome extracts of Corallocarpus epigaeus based ZrO₂/CuO–ZnO nanocomposite were green synthesized in a facile synthesis strategy. The nanocomposites were examined with XRD technique for their structural information and FT-IR technique for surface functional group analysis. Electron microscopic images aided to elucidate the CuO and ZnO nanoparticles decorated ZrO₂ nanostructures. UV–vis absorption spectroscopic studies of the nanocomposite revealed the characteristic UV absorption of ZrO₂ and enhanced visible region absorption for the incorporated nanoparticles. Antibacterial and antifungal studies indicated enhanced activity of nanocomposites over the pristine zirconia nanoparticles. ZrO₂/CuO–ZnO nanocomposite had exhibited about 75% of α-amylase inhibition activity, whereas pristine ZrO₂ nanoparticles had exhibited only 57% suggesting the worthwhile application in the antidiabetic activity of the nanocomposite.