Chemical synthesis, characterisation and gas sensing performance of copper oxide nanoribbons

Single crystalline copper oxide nanoribbons were synthesized via a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal route. The resulting CuO nanoribbons contain substantial amounts of nanorings and nanoloops. High resolution TEM analysis identified CuO nanoribbons growing along the [010] direction. CuO nanoribbons exhibited excellent sensing performance towards formaldehyde and ethanol vapours with rapid response and high sensitivity at low operating temperatures. We found that the loading of a small amount of Au or Pt nanoparticles on the surface of CuO nanoribbons can effectively enhance and functionalize the gas sensing performance of CuO nanoribbons.