Uniform copper oxide–poly(m-phenylenediamine) microflowers: synthesis and application for the adsorption of methyl orange

Abstract

A rapid, template-free and surfactant-free approach is proposed for the preparation of copper oxide–poly(m-phenylenediamine) (CuO–PmPD) microflower composites by simply mixing aqueous Cu(NO₃)₂ and m-phenylenediamine (mPD) at 10 °C. The concentrations of reactants are found to play an important role in the formation of different CuO–PmPD morphologies. The morphologies of the composites can be varied from microflowers to spheres by changing the concentrations of reactants. Moreover, the CuO–PmPD microflower composite exhibits a superior capacity for methyl orange (MO) adsorption.