K. THARANI, L.C. NEHRU#
Department of Medical Physics, School of Physics, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli-24, Tamil Nadu, India
Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) have been prepared by solution combustion method by using copper nitrate and glycine. The prepared powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) and fluorescence spectroscopy. The synthesized powder were monoclinic phase and the average particle size was in the range of 20–30 nm. The FTIR results showed the functional groups required for the reduction of copper ions. The UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy showed the optical property and the result shows the band gap energy of CuO nanoparticles were 6 eV. The SEM result shows a uniform spherical nanostructures and particle size is 48 nm. The photocatalytic activity of CuO nanoparticles were studied by the rhodamine B under visible light irradiation.
Key words: CuO, combustion, XRD, photocatalytic activity.