Fabrication and characterization of copper oxide (CuO)–gold (Au)–titania (TiO{sub 2}) and copper oxide (CuO)–gold (Au)–indium tin oxide (ITO) nanowire heterostructures

Journal Article · Wed Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Materials Characterization

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MATCHAR.2014.07.021· OSTI ID:22403563

Chopra, Nitin ^[1]; Shi, Wenwu ^[1]; Lattner, Andrew ^[2]

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1. Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Center for Materials for Information Technology (MINT), Box 870202, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 (United States)
2. NSF-REH, Northridge High School, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 (United States)

Nanoscale heterostructures composed of standing copper oxide nanowires decorated with Au nanoparticles and shells of titania and indium tin oxide were fabricated. The fabrication process involved surfactant-free and wet-chemical nucleation of gold nanoparticles on copper oxide nanowires followed by a line-of-sight sputtering of titania or indium tin oxide. The heterostructures were characterized using high resolution electron microscopy, diffraction, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The interfaces, morphologies, crystallinity, phases, and chemical compositions were analyzed. The process of direct nucleation of gold nanoparticles on copper oxide nanoparticles resulted in low energy interface with aligned lattice for both the components. Coatings of polycrystalline titania or amorphous indium tin oxide were deposited on standing copper oxide nanowire–gold nanoparticle heterostructures. Self-shadowing effect due to standing nanowire heterostructures was observed for line-of-sight sputter deposition of titania or indium tin oxide coatings. Finally, the heterostructures were studied using Raman spectroscopy and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, including band gap energy analysis. Tailing in the band gap energy at longer wavelengths (or lower energies) was observed for the nanowire heterostructures. - Highlights: • Heterostructures comprised of CuO nanowires coated with Au nanoparticles. • Au nanoparticles exhibited nearly flat and low energy interface with nanowire. • Heterostructures were further sputter-coated with oxide shell of TiO{sub 2} or ITO. • The process resulted in coating of polycrystalline TiO{sub 2} and amorphous ITO shell.

• OSTI ID: 22403563
• Journal Information: Materials Characterization, Vol. 96; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1044-5803
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
COPPER OXIDES
DIFFRACTION
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
GOLD
INDIUM COMPOUNDS
INTERFACES
MORPHOLOGY
NANOPARTICLES
NANOWIRES
NUCLEATION
POLYCRYSTALS
RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY
SHADOW EFFECT
SPUTTERING
TIN OXIDES
TITANIUM OXIDES
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY