Chitosan-assisted combustion synthesis of CuO–ZnO nanocomposites: Effect of pH and chitosan concentration

CuO–ZnO nanocomposites were synthesized via a chitosan-assisted solution combustion method. The effects of pH and chitosan concentration on the physicochemical properties of the CuO–ZnO nanocomposites have been investigated. Thermal behavior, morphological structures, surface composition, crystal type and specific surface area of the products were characterized by means of thermal gravimetric and differential temperature analysis, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and N2-sorption analysis, respectively. Without the use of chitosan, CuO and ZnO particles were separately formed while CuO and ZnO crystallite sizes tended to be decreased with increasing the pH value. Chitosan was found to not only induce a homogeneous mixture of CuO–ZnO nanocomposites but also prevent the growth of CuO and ZnO nanoparticles. Moreover, chitosan also acted as a fuel which promoted the formation of CuO and ZnO nanoparticles at lower temperature.