ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Hydrothermal synthesis of momordica-like CuO nanostructures using egg white and their characterisation

Yun-Ling Zou, Yan Li, Jian-Gang Li, and Wan-Jie Xie

College of Science, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin, 300300 China

E-mail: zouyunling1999@126.com

Abstract: In this paper, we report on the preparation of momordica-like CuO nanostructures by the hydrothermal method using freshly extracted egg white protein (ovalbumin) in an aqueous medium. These momordica-like CuO nanostructures were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). XRD patterns showed that these nanostructures had a polycrystalline nature with a monoclinic structure. FE-SEM images indicated that the momordica-like CuO nanostructures obtained at 180°C for 15 h were composed of CuO nanorods with a length of less than 100 nm and a width ranging from 30 nm to 50 nm. Finally, a possible growth mechanism for the momordica-like CuO nanostructures is proposed and discussed.

Keywords: CuO – momordica – nanostructures – egg white – ovalbumin

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-012-0139-1

Chemical Papers 66 (4) 278–283 (2012)