Photoelectrochemical properties of CuO nanostructures grown on a porous CuO seed layer

This study explored the effects of microwave annealing durations on CuO nanostructures synthesized using microwave chemical bath deposition on a CuO seed layer. We focused on how varying annealing durations influenced the pore size and density of the CuO seed layers, subsequently affecting their morphological, structural, optical, electrical, and photoelectrochemical properties. Our findings reveal that extending the annealing time enhances these properties significantly, culminating in a peak photocurrent density of − 2.79 mA/cm² at − 0.55 V vs. SCE after 10 min of annealing. This underscores the critical role of precise annealing control in optimizing CuO nanostructures for advanced photoelectrochemical applications.