Solution-phase synthesis of CuO hierarchical nanosheets at near-neutral pH and near-room temperature

CuO hierarchical nanosheets have been successfully prepared by a facile solution-phase method. The experimental conditions are very mild: near-neutral pH (7.5) and near-room temperature (30 °C). SEM and TEM images show that the as-synthesized CuO nanosheets are composed of numerous tiny nanoparticles. The growth mechanism is discussed by monitoring the whole growth stages via time-dependent SEM examinations. UV–vis spectrum is used to estimate the band gap energy of the hierarchical structures, and the result shows that the calculated band gap energy is ∼ 1.94 eV.