Nanostructures design by plasma afterglow-assisted oxidation of iron-copper thin films

Oxidizing thin films made of Fe-Cu alloy with an Ar-O2 micro-afterglow operated at atmospheric pressure shows remarkable growth processes. The presence of iron in copper up to about 50% leads to the synthesis of CuO nanostructures (nanowalls, nanotowers and nanowires). Nanotowers show the presence of an amorphous phase trapped between crystalline domains. Beyond 50%, Fe2O3 iron nanoblades are also found. CuO nanowires as small as 5 nm in diameter can be synthesized. Thanks to the presence of patterned domains induced by buckling, it was possible to show that the stress level decreases when the iron content in the alloy increases. Iron blades grow from the inner Fe2O3 layer through the overlying CuO if it is thin enough.