Structure, chemical bonding states, and optical properties of the hetero-structured ZnO/CuO prepared by using the hydrothermal and the electrospinning methods

ZnO-branched nanostructures have recently attracted considerable attention due to their rich architectures and promising applications in the field of optoelectronics. Contrary to n-type semiconducting metal oxides, cupric oxide is a p-type semiconductor which can be applied to high-critical-temperature superconductors, photovoltaic materials, field emission, and catalysis. We report the synthesis of the ZnO nanorods on the CuO nanofibers prepared by using the electrospinning method along with the hydrothermal method. As the growing time increases, emission spectra of the hetero-structured ZnO/CuO show that the observed band in the UV region is slightly increased, while the intensity of the green emission is highly enhanced. The hetero-structured ZnO/CuO is found to be a promising candidate for developing renewable devices with photoluminescent behavior and the increased surface to volume ratio.