Abstract

The formation of hollow Cu oxide nanoparticles through the oxidation process has been studied with Cu nanoparticles produced by the plasma arc discharge method. The initial copper nanoparticles had a size range of 40 - 60 nm and a thin Cu₂O layer on the surface. After oxidation at 100°C, there was no significant change in the particles. After oxidation at 200°C, however, the particles consisted of Cu₂O and CuO instead of metallic Cu. By further increasing the temperature up to 300°C, only CuO particles remained. The obtained CuO particles had a hollow structure which resulted from the Kirkendall effect.

Keywords: Copper, hollow, nanoparticles, oxidation.