Manipulating aggregation of CuO nanoparticles: Correlation between morphology and optical properties

Controlled synthesis of CuO nanoparticles with various morphologies were achieved by a wet chemical method by the reduction of copper acetate with NaOH. Influence of surfactant, alkaline concentration and solvent medium on the morphology of nanoparticles was investigated. Our studies reveal that these parameters alter the aggregation-growth processes and hence the morphology. Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) as a structure-guiding agent has a strong impact on the morphology of nanostructure. By adjusting the rate of hydrolysis, two dimensional netted structures consisting of bundles of nanorods were obtained, formed by oriented attachment mechanism. Moreover, well defined and dispersed CuO nanoparticles were produced by manipulating the solvent medium. Optical properties were studied using UV-Vis absorption and Raman spectroscopy. Morphology and size of nanoparticles have a profound effect on the nature of multi-phonon band observed in the Raman spectra of CuO nanostructures. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.