Shape-controlled synthesis of self-assembly cubic CuO nanostructures by microwave

Self-assembly three-dimensional (3D) cubic CuO nanostructures with a mean size of approximately 230 nm were synthesized by heating cupric acetate (Cu(OAc)(2)center dot H2O) aqueous solution in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) under microwave irradiation. The CuO nanostructures were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), which indicated that the as-synthesized cubic CuO nanostructures were a self-assembly of monodispersed nanoparticles. The concentration of the Cu(OAc)(2), the molar ratio of Cu(OAc)(2)/NaOH/PVP, together with the heating time by microwave were factors affecting the successful synthesis of cubic CuO nanostructures. The mechanism and the formation factors of the self-assembly were discussed. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.