Rose-like Cu2O nanoflowers via hydrothermal synthesis and their gas sensing properties

Self-assembly of two-dimensional nanosheet building blocks into functional 3D complex superstructures has stimulated a great deal of interest. In current work, using the hydrothermal method and reagent of Cetyltrimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB), we synthesize the 3D rose-like Cu2O nanoflowers with an average diameter of 200-250 nm, which exhibit rose-like nanoflowers assembled by numerous nanosheets. The CTAB plays a crucial role in producing such unique rose-like nanoflowers. Meantime, a novel growth mechanism is also proposed in detail. In property, the prepared rose-like Cu2O nanoflowers show excellent gas-sensing performances to NO2 of 200 ppm at an optimal temperature as low as 340 degrees C. Such unique architectures may open up an avenue to further enhance the gas-sensing performances of Cu2O nanostructures for future sensor application. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.