Procedure to Obtain Cu<sub>2</sub>O Isolate Films, Structural, Electrical, and Morphological Characterization, and Its Use as an Electrical Isolator to Build a New Tube Furnace
Copper oxide is a widely studied compound in wastewater decontamination, hydrogen production, solar cell production, and sensor fabrication. In recent years, many architectures and structures with the potential for developing clean technologies have been synthesized. A procedure by thermal oxidation...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Materials |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/16/4/1361 |
| Summary: | Copper oxide is a widely studied compound in wastewater decontamination, hydrogen production, solar cell production, and sensor fabrication. In recent years, many architectures and structures with the potential for developing clean technologies have been synthesized. A procedure by thermal oxidation to grow electrical insolate Cu<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msub><mrow></mrow><mn>2</mn></msub></semantics></math></inline-formula>O films on copper surfaces in an air atmosphere was developed. The results of the morphological and structural characterization of the copper oxide layers evidence the presence of Cu<inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><msub><mrow></mrow><mn>2</mn></msub></semantics></math></inline-formula>O polycrystalline films. The films have polyhedral architectures of approximately 1.4 <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mi mathvariant="sans-serif">μ</mi></semantics></math></inline-formula>m thickness and are electrically insulating. A novel copper resistive furnace was built using this copper oxide film which was used as an electrical insulator between the electrical resistance of the heater and the surface of the copper thermal block. The application improves the efficiency of the resistive furnace in terms of the temperature reached and the thermal coupling response time relative to the performance of conventional furnaces using ceramic insulation. Over the entire operating temperature range explored for the same power supply, the copper oxide-coated furnace achieved higher temperatures and faster response times than the traditionally coated furnace. |
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| ISSN: | 1996-1944 |