In situ synthesis and assembly of copper oxide nanocrystals on copper foil via a mild hydrothermal process

Different dimensional cupric oxide (CuO) nanocrystals and their architectures have been prepared on copper foil via a mild hydrothermal process with the introduction of different types of surfactants. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) patterns indicate that the products are pure CuO and of monoclinic symmetry. Furthermore, the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) reveal that the products are single-crystalline in nature. Series of experiments confirm that the type of surfactant, the concentration of the surfactant, the concentration of the reactants and the reaction temperature play important roles in the morphology and nanoarchitecture of the products.