Synthesis and Characterization of Three-Dimensional Nanoporous Copper Oxide Materials via Dealloying and Thermal Oxidation of Amorphous Ribbons

Abstract

The synthesis of nanoporous copper oxide (NP-CuO) materials via the dealloying and thermal oxidation of amorphous CuZrAl ribbons, representing the novelty of this research and previously achieved via a melt-spinning process, was carried out in an aqueous hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution by varying the holding time. These nanoporous copper (NPC) structures were used as a template to achieve a 3D-NP-CuO materials with different surface morphologies. To investigate the structural and morphological properties of the obtained sandwich-type materials, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS) techniques were used. In summary, the dealloying and thermal oxidation of amorphous ribbons is an interesting approach to achieving a three-dimensional (3D) network of NP-CuO with different morphologies and with a low production cost. These sandwich-type structures, consisting of NPC and copper oxide nanowires (CuO/Cu2O), combine the good electrical properties of NPC with the catalytic properties of copper oxide semiconductors, making them suitable materials for photocatalysis, photoelectrodes in solar cells, battery applications, and electrochemical sensors.

Keywords

• amorphous ribbons
• dealloying
• thermal oxidation
• nanoporous copper oxide
• nanowires