Surfactant Assisted Synthesis of Copper Oxide (CuO) Leaf-like Nanostructures for Electrochemical Applications

Abstract

Three different copper oxide (CuO) leaf-like nanostructures have been synthesized by micelles microemulsion method using a surfactant of copper dodecyl sulfate (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 behavior 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 decreased with increasing concentration of NaOH. The interaction 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.