Synthesis and Characterization of CuO Nanowires

Synthesis of copper oxide nanowires was done heating up copper wires in wet ambient air at 400 and 500°C. The existence of nanowires was confirmed by SEM images and EDX spectroscopy. Nanowires were not formed in nitrogen ambient. The diameters of synthesized nanowires are between 30 to 160 nm and lengths up to 39 μm. SEM image shows that CuO nanowires were formed on top of the oxide grains. Vapor-solid growth mechanism is also suggested for the growth of this nanowire.