One-step wet chemical method to Cu(OH)2 nanowires

Under controlled temperature and pH of solution, Cu(OH)2 nanowires were successfully fabricated by dropping simply NaOH solution into CuSO4 solution. The morphology and composition of as-synthesized products were controllable by adjusting the pH value, reaction temperature and aging time. The influence of reaction conditions on the products was discussed in detail and optimum synthesis conditions were obtained. A mechanism of reconstruction involving dissolution, reprecipitation and transportation of [Cu(OH)4 ]2- was proposed. OH ions played an important role by absorbing on the surface of crystal planes which resulted in anisotropic growth of Cu(OH)2 crystals. This method with mild conditions was simple and repeatable. This route provides a new perspective to synthesize similar 1-D nanomaterials, such as Co(OH)2 and Ni(OH)2 and so on. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the products.