Cu oxide nanowire array grown on Si-based SiO2 nanoscale islands via nanochannels Original Research Article

Cu oxide nanowire array on Si-based SiO2 nanoscale islands was fabricated via nanochannels of Si-based porous anodic alumina (PAA) template at room temperature under a pulse voltage in a conventional solution for copper electrodeposition. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the main composite of the oxide nanowire is Cu2O. The nanowires had a preferential growth direction (1 1 1) and connected with the nanoscale SiO2 islands, which was confirmed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Such Si-based nanostructure is useful in the nanoelectrics application. The growth mechanism of Cu oxide nanowires in Si-based PAA template was discussed. The formation of Cu2O is due to the alkalinity of the anodized solution. However, the oscillations of the potential and current during the experiment trend to bring on a small amount of copper and CuO in the nanowires.