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

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]