CuO three-dimensional (3D) flower-like nanostructures were successfully synthesized by a simple method at 100°C with Cu(NO3)2·3H2O and NH3·H2O for 6 h in the absence of any additives. We found that NH3·H2O amount was critical for CuO morphology evolution. The phase analysis was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the result confirmed that the CuO nanoflowers were single-phase. The morphological investigations by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) revealed that the CuO nanoflowers were mono-dispersed in a large quantity and consisted of nanosheets. And then, CuO nanoflowers were successfully used to modify a gold electrode to detect H2O2 with cyclic voltammetry (CV) and amperometric (AC). It was found that CuO nanoflowers may be of great potential for H2O2 electrochemical sensing.

Cupreous oxide nanobelts were successfully synthesized by cupreous hydroxid nanobelts as precursor with a hydrothermal reduction process at a low temperature. The prepared cupreous oxide nanobelts were characterized by the X-ray powder diffraction and the field-emission scanning electron microscopy and then were modified onto the electrode which was applied to determine l-Tyrosine in the solution. The result shows that the cupreous oxide nanobelts give a very high activity for the l-Tyrosine determination, and we think that cupreous oxide nanobelts may be of great potential use in l-Tyrosine sensor.

Porous cuprous oxide octahedra with a mean diameter of 1 μm have been successfully prepared with high yield via a hydrothermal reduction process at a low temperature. The growth mechanism and the influences of the poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) and citric acid have been discussed. And then, the samples were used as photocatalytic in the degradation of methyl red (MR). Thanks to the 3D architecture of the product, the photocatalytic performance has been significantly improved. We believe that the present work will open up to systematically explore ways to fabricate porous nanostructures and thus find use in a variety of applications.

CuO nanobelts have been successfully prepared with high yield via a simple hydrothermal reduction process at a low temperature. The as-prepared CuO nanowires were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and HRTEM techniques. The growth mechanism of these nanostructures is discussed. The electrochemical tests show that the ultrafine CuO nanobelts, as a promising electrode material, can deliver a large discharge capacity of about 500 mA h g−1.

Highly uniform porous cuprous oxide (Cu2O) octahedra with an average size of 1 μm were first successfully prepared with high yield by a facile one-step seed-mediated approach, employing cupreous acetate and sodium sulfite as the reactants, and citric acid as the assistant vesicant. The crucial influence of citric acid and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) on the morphology of porous octahedron in the synthesis has also been discussed. Electrochemical impendance spectrum (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) shows that the porous cuprous oxide octahedra have a stronger ability to promote electron transfer than both the Cu2O octahedral and the Cu2O nanoparticles resulting from such porous nanostructures, which potentially not only have high surface area but also can supply more efficient transport passage for the probe molecules to get to the active sites. The porous Cu2O octahedra were successfully used to modify the gold electrode to detect L-Tyrosine (Tyr) with differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The result shows that the porous cuprous oxide octahedra may be of great potential as L-Tyrosine electrochemical sensor.

The TiO2-doped SiO2 composite films were prepared by two-step sol-gel method and then it was applied in the degradation of methylene red (MR) as photocatalysts. In XRD, FT-IR, and TEM investigations of these TiO2-doped SiO2 composite films, the titanium oxide species are highly dispersed in the SiO2 matrixes and exist in a tetrahedral form. And special attention has been focused on the relationship between the local structure of the titanium oxide species in the TiO2-doped SiO2 composite films and the photocatalytic reactivity in order to provide vital information for the design and application of such highly efficient photocatalytic systems in the degradation of toxic compounds diluted in a liquid phase.