In situ study on stability of copper oxide nanomaterials by e-beam irradiation

• Average length of Copper oxide nanowires as a function of time was obtained.
• Cu2O lumps decomposed into several small nanoparticles after e-beam irradiation.
• No detectable mass transmission was observed in CuO nanowires after irradiation.
• No phase change was detected for Cu2O lumps or CuO nanowires after irradiation.

Cu2O nanoparticles and CuO nanowires were prepared by a thermal oxidation method. The high-energy e-beam in a transmission electron microscope was used to study the anti-radiation properties of the Cu2O and CuO nanomaterials. The morphology of Cu2O nanoparticles greatly changed during irradiating. Notable mass transmission was observed and new grains formed away the irradiated region. By contrast, neither mass transmission was detected nor new grains were formed when CuO nanowires were irradiated at similar situation. No phase transition was detected whether for Cu2O nanoparticles or CuO nanowires during irradiation. The chemical and mechanical stabilities of CuO and Cu2O under e-beam irradiation were discussed.