Chemical Vapor Deposition of Cu2O and CuO nanosystems for innovative gas sensors

Supported copper oxide nanosystems (CuxO, x=1,2) were synthesized by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) on Al2O3 substrates. Structural and morphological characterization showed an evolution from polycrystalline Cu2O nanodeposits to CuO samples with an entangled quasi 1-D morphology upon increasing the growth temperature from 350 to 550°C. For the first time, CVD copper oxide nanosystems were investigated in the gas sensing of CH3COCH3 and CH3CH2OH. The analyses revealed appreciable responses even at moderate operating temperatures, with characteristics directly dependent on the system composition and nano-organization