Synthesis of CuO nanowires from porous copper with promising application for nanoenergetic materials

Abstract

Large-area CuO nanowires have been synthesized by thermal oxidation of porous copper film in static air. The effect of the thermal oxidation temperature and duration are found to influence the growth of CuO nanowires significantly. With an optimized condition, the porous copper film is converted into pure CuO. The application of the as-synthesized CuO nanowires in nanoenergetic materials is also studied. The ignition temperature of the reaction between Al and CuO is significantly lower than those in micro scale or bulk composites.