SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION OF COPPER/COPPER OXIDE (II) NANOPARTICLES ON GOLD SURFACE BY CHEMICAL OXIDATION METHOD

A new method has been presented for the synthesis of copper (Cu)/copper oxide (CuO)-nanoparticles (NPs), based on the process of corrosion and oxidation of Cu-NPs on the surface of the gold electrode by nitric acid. Cu-NPs were deposited on the surface using potentiometric method. The high concentration of Cu-NPs was estimated by Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV). The process of growth and distribution of CuO-NPs on the surface of Cu-NPs using structural analysis of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that nitrate was well absorbed and a sharp hydroxyl peak appeared and a phase of CuO NPs formed on the electrode surface. The surface morphology indicated that the average size reduced from about 150 nm to 50 nm in the presence of nitrate. This can be due to the oxidation of Cu nanoparticles on the surface and reduction of particle size compared to the absence of nitric acid. This simple and low-cost method can be used as a surface modification of antibacterial and active catalyst electrodes.