Hydrothermally synthesized CuO nanostructures and their application in humidity sensing
Bharat Bade, Sachin R. Rondiya, Yogesh Hase, Mamta P. Nasane, Sagar B. Jathar, Sunil V. Barma, Kiran B. Kore, Dhanaraj S. Nilegave, Sandesh Jadkar, Adinath M. Funde
Abstract
The copper oxide (CuO) nanostructures have been successfully synthesized from copper sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO4.5H2O) and NaOH as a stabilizing agent using simple hydrothermal chemical route. The prepared samples were characterized using x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy. The x-ray diffraction study of CuO nanostructures shows a monoclinic structure with average crystalline size 22 nm as calculated from the Debye-Scherrer’s equation. The hydrothermal technique used for the synthesis of CuO plays an important role in the formation of rod-like morphology. Optical study of CuO nanostructure facilitated estimation of bandgap to be 1.3 eV. The humidity sensing properties of CuO nanostructure are studied at a room temperature. The maximum sensitivity response was found to be 82.03 % which was stable and reproducible. The CuO nanostructures were successfully demonstrated as good candidate for humidity sensing application.