Formation of Hierarchical CuO Nanostructures on Copper Foil by Chemical Bath Deposition for Applications in Superhydrophobic Surfaces

Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, University of the Philippines, Quezon City Philippines

^a Corresponding author: jefelizco@upd.edu.ph
^b Corresponding author: edmagdaluyo@gmail.com

Abstract

Hierarchical CuO nanostructures (urchin-like and grassy island structure) were successfully synthesized by a simple chemical bath deposition method at low temperature of 70°C in a short reaction time of 1h. XRD analysis revealed the presence of pure crystalline monoclinic CuO. Morphological analysis revealed the formation of spherical structures composed of numerous hair-like structures. The pH of the solution was also investigated to have a great effect on the morphology of the CuO nanostructures. At lower pH, the structures tend to form urchin-like structures; while at higher pH, the structures tend to form grass-like islands. A growth mechanism was also proposed in this paper. Lastly, wettability test proved the stable superhydrophobic property of the CuO nanostructured thin film surface.