A facile one-step synthesis of p-CuO/n-ZnO nanowire heterojunctions by thermal oxidation route

p-CuO/n-ZnO nanowire heterojunctions have been successfully synthesized by facile one-step thermal oxidation copper and zinc sheets at 500 °C for 4 h in atmosphere. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies indicate p-CuO and n-ZnO nanowires appear respectively well vertical arrays. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show p-CuO and n-ZnO nanowires present very narrow sharp peaks which suggest that two nanowires are highly crystalline. Current–voltage (I–V) characteristic of p-CuO/n-ZnO nanowire heterojunctions has been investigated, and I–V curve exhibits a distinct diode-like rectifying behavior. Its simplicity of synthesis and low cost may make the p-CuO/n-ZnO nanowire heterojunctions suitable for applications in many fields.