Synthesis, structure and optical properties of x(CuO)/(1-x)Ni(OH)2 [x=0, 0.1 and 0.3] nanocomposites

The x(CuO)/(1-x)Ni(OH)(2) [x=0, 0.1 and 0.3] nanocomposites were prepared by the hydrothermal method in the presence of the surfactant polyethylenglycol-10000 (PEG-10000). X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the as-prepared samples. The increase of the CuO content led to the increase of the crystallite size of both, the beta-Ni(OH)(2) and the CuO. The increase in the crystallite size greatly affects the band gap energy of the as-prepared nanocomposites. The band gap energies of the x(CuO)/(1 x)Ni(OH)2 nanocomposites were estimated by UV-vis spectroscopic method. UV-vis spectroscopic results showed an apparent decrease in the direct band gap energies. The x(CuO)/(1 x)Ni(OH)(2) [x=0, 0.1 and 0.3] nanocomposites show low band gap energies compared to the Ni(OH)2 bulk materials. The enhanced optical properties lead to their possible use in photocatalytic and photovoltaic applications. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.