Widening UV?Vis absorption band by Cu doped ZnO and ZnO/CuO composite

ZnO, Cu doped ZnO, and CuO were synthesized by solvothermal method. Pure ZnO and CuO show twodimensional (2D) particles with flake-like shape morphology and well-defined crystalline phases. The Cu incorporation slightly modifies the ZnO particle shape and size for low dopant. However, ZnO/CuO composite presents the co-existing morphologies with flake-like and small-rods shapes. The visible light absorption increases, directly proportional to the Cu content. However, ZnO/CuO composite shows wide ultraviolet-visible absorption between 200 and 1000 nm. The bandgap energy determined was 3.22 and 1.45 eV for ZnO and CuO, respectively. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.