Preparation of CuO nanowires by thermal oxidation of Cu foils

CuO nanowires were prepared by thermal oxidation of Cu foils in air.The effect of oxidation tempertures on CuO nanowires was investigated.The structures and morphology of CuO nanowires obtained were analyzed by X-ray diffractometry(XRD) and scanning electron microscope(SEM).The results show that diameters and length of CuO nanowires are related to the oxidation temperature.The diameter of the CuO nanowires obtained at 600 ℃ is 140 nm,and the length is 4μm,which is the best growth temperature of the CuO nanowires.The oxidation products have a layered structure,which is CuO nanowires,CuO layer and Cu2 O layer,from top to bottom of the sample.