Preparation and characterization of Cu(OH)2 and CuO nanowires by the coupling route of microemulsion with homogenous precipitation

Using CuSO4 and NH3⋅H2O as raw materials, one-dimensional (1D) Cu(OH)2 nanowires were prepared by the coupling route of microemulsion with homogenous precipitation. The morphology and structure of products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicate that the as-prepared Cu(OH)2 nanowires are of high purity and are single crystalline with orthorhombic structure. The diameter of Cu(OH)2 nanowires ranges from 33 nm to 46 nm and the length ranges from 400 nm to 2000 nm. The effects of different conditions such as the molar ratio of water to surfactant ( ω ), reactant concentration and the aging time on the morphology and the size of the products were studied. 1D CuO nanowires could be simply obtained by the dehydration of Cu(OH)2, while maintaining the wire-shaped architecture. The catalytic performances of CuO nanocrystals on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) were also studied.