Cyclic voltammetry analysis of copper electrode performance in Na2WO4 solution and optical property of electrochemical synthesized CuWO4 nanoparticles

• The electrochemical behavior of Cu in Na2WO4 has been studied through CV.
• CuWO4 formed in kinds of electrochemical processes followed with chemical reaction.
• The synthetic method is simple, mild, effective and environmentally friendly.
• Provide a universally used method for functional materials synthesis.

The electrochemical behavior of copper electrode in sodium tungstate (Na2WO4) solution has been studied through cyclic voltammetry (CV). CV results informed that CuWO4 was formed in kinds of electrochemical processes followed with chemical reaction. A cationic exchange membrane-assisted electrolysis method was developed to synthesize optical nanoparticle CuWO4 for the first time. Anode chamber collected CuWO4 was calcined at 500 °C based on the thermogravimetry test result. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of calcined CuWO4 showed no impurities. Microstructure of CuWO4 was characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). The fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of the sample further confirmed the formation of pure CuWO4 nanoparticle. Furthermore, the optical property of the nanomaterial was studied by ultraviolet visible diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer (UV–vis) and photoluminescence (PL).