Large-scale Growth of Copper Oxide Nanowires on Various Copper Substrates

Large-scale growth of copper oxide nanowires was realized on surfaces of various copper-containing substrates, including copper grids, high-purity copper foils, and small copper blocks, by the stress-induced method. A relatively low heating temperature of 340 °C was demonstrated to give rise to dense nanowire growth with fine crystal structures and high aspect ratio of approximately 300. Gradual cooling process, which is positive for the growth of nanowires on multi-layer substrates, is shown to have no effect on the nanowire growth on other pure copper substrates. Diameter of as-obtained nanowires is mainly dependent on the heating temperature. Moreover, the nanowires growing on copper grids are much longer than those growing on two other substrates.