The effect of Copper Oxide added with Zinc Oxide nanostructure prepared by hydrothermal method

Hydrothermal method was used to synthesize the zinc oxide (ZnO) added with different concentration of copper oxide (CuO) in order to study the influence of CuO on the growth of ZnO nanostructures in terms of band gap, morphology and its physical properties. The value of CuO addition was ranging between 0.1 to 0.4 wt. % added with ZnO. Addition ZnO with different concentration of CuO showed the lower band gap of ZnO nanostructure and enhance the photocatalytic activity. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) Spectroscopy were used to characterize the samples. SEM showed copper oxide added with ZnO exhibit hexagonal nanoflower structure. XRD shows the phase formation of ZnO that was successfully added with CuO, ZnO gave hexagonal wurtzite structure and CuO gave tenorite structure. The average crystallite size of nanoflower was calculated which is for pure ZnO, 0.1 wt%, 0.2 wt%, 0.3 wt% and 0.4 wt% copper oxide added with ZnO nanostructures is 25.45, 31.95, 31.50, 24.75 and 29.26 nm respectively. UVVis Spectroscopy reveal that the effect of copper oxide addition with ZnO showed the lower the band gap which is for pure ZnO, 0.1 wt%, 0.2 wt%, 0.3 wt% and 0.4 wt% copper oxide added with ZnO nanostructures is 2.30 eV, 2.23 eV, 1.79 eV, 1.50 eV and 1.42 eV respectively. The photocatalytic activity of ZnO is improved by CuO addition which narrowed the band gap of CuO added with ZnO and increase the wavelength of the light absorbed.