PROJECT TITLE :

Tuning the oxidation states and crystallinity of copper oxide nanofibers by calcination

ABSTRACT:

Cu oxide/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers were synthesized by sol–gel and electrospinning technique. The obtained Cu oxide/PVA nanofibers were heated to get rid of the PVA compound at 673 and 873 K. The ultrafine Cu oxide nanofibers were characterised with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The SEM images showed that the Cu oxide nanofibers were successfully synthesized by electrospinning and calcination and the average diameters of the electrospun Cu/PVA nanofibers were 268.nine ± ninety seven.two nm. After the nanofibers were calcined at higher temperature than rt, the morphologies of the nanofibers changed. XRD results indicated that the crystalline structure changed from amorphous phase to monoclinic CuO through cubic Cu2O. TEM images additionally verified the crystal part of Cu oxide nanofibers. XPS spectra revealed that the thermal oxidation of Cu proceeded throughout calcination.