Surfactant assisted synthesis of copper oxide (CuO) leaf-like nanostructures for electrochemical applications

Abstract

Three different copper oxide (CuO) leaf-like nanostructures have been synthesised by micelles micro emulsion method using a surfactant of copper dodecyl sulphate (Cu(DS)2) by varying the concentration of sodium hydroxide (NaOH). This study was carried out to investigate the effect of NaOH concentration on the stability, crystalline domain and pseudocapacitance behaviour of the leaf-like nanostructures. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was observed that the crystalline domain size (12 nm-18 nm) and size distribution of the as-synthesized nanocrystals decreases with increasing concentration of NaOH. The interactions mechanism and formation of the leaf-like structure have been elucidated and correlated with various analytical techniques. The domain size and NaOH concentration tend to influence the charge transfer resistance.