Abstract Herein, a simple single step procedure for synthesis of CuO nanosheets (CuO-NS) at room temperature is reported. The structural and morphological evaluation proves that material is highly crystalline in nature. The electrocatalytic activity of CuO-NS for CH3OH oxidation was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and chronoamperometry methods in 0.5 M NaOH. The prepared catalyst showed comparable performance in terms of electrocatalytic current in comparison with reported electrodes modified with various transition metal-oxides. The electrochemical studies on CuO-NS reveal intriguing methanol electrooxidation properties with current density of 4.24 mA/cm2 and 75% current retention even after 2000 s, demonstrating its stability in methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). The improved activity of the electrocatalyst is due to mesoporosity and high surface area. Reaction kinetics and mechanism for CH3OH oxidation were studied. Double step chronoamperometric technique shows that CH3OH oxidation was irreversible. The results elucidate superior performance of the prepared catalyst for CH3OH oxidation and are notably promising in direct methanol fuel cell applications.

中文翻译：

---

一锅法合成 CuO 纳米片，用作甲醇氧化的电催化剂

摘要 本文报道了一种在室温下合成 CuO 纳米片 (CuO-NS) 的简单单步程序。结构和形态评估证明材料本质上是高度结晶的。使用循环伏安法、电化学阻抗谱和计时电流法在 0.5 M NaOH 中评估 CuO-NS 对 CH3OH 氧化的电催化活性。与报道的用各种过渡金属氧化物改性的电极相比，所制备的催化剂在电催化电流方面表现出相当的性能。CuO-NS 的电化学研究揭示了有趣的甲醇电氧化特性，电流密度为 4.24 mA/cm2，即使在 2000 s 后仍保持 75% 的电流，证明其在甲醇氧化反应 (MOR) 中的稳定性。电催化剂的改进活性是由于介孔性和高表面积。研究了 CH3OH 氧化的反应动力学和机理。双步计时电流技术表明 CH3OH 氧化是不可逆的。结果阐明了所制备的催化剂对 CH3OH 氧化的优越性能，并且在直接甲醇燃料电池应用中具有显着的前景。