Structure Of CuO Research Articles

The effect of nanocrystalline TiO2 on structure and catalytic activity of CuO–ZnO in combined methanol reforming

CuO–ZnO (CZ) and CuO–ZnO/TiO2 (CZT) catalysts have been prepared by co-precipitation, characterized by X-ray diffraction, surface area measurements and chemical analysis and tested in the combined methanol reforming reaction. Catalytic tests have been performed in the temperature range 200–400 °C with a GHSV = 55.000 h−1, after H2 reducing pretreatment at 250 °C or 450 °C. It is shown that nanocrystalline TiO2 influences the CuO–ZnO nanosized structure, reducibility and reactivity. TiO2 slightly increases ZnO crystallite size of the fresh catalyst. Moreover, it causes the CuO chemical reduction to nanosized Cu2O on exhaust catalyst pretreated in hydrogen at 250 °C, this improves the reaction with higher methanol conversion and hydrogen production. On the contrary, TiO2 reduces CuO to submicron Cu0 and greatly increases ZnO crystallite size on the exhaust catalyst pretreated in hydrogen at 450 °C, this treatment weakens the reaction, with lower methanol conversion and hydrogen production. In both cases, nanocrystalline TiO2 presence is able to decrease the CO formation: independently of the hydrogen pretreatment temperature. This ability of the nanocrystalline TiO2 is ascribed to the presence of the oxygen vacancies, which act as electron donors that contribute to hinder CO2 and H2 surface adsorption for steric, electrostatic and probabilistic factors.

Facile and Scalable Synthesis of Self-Supported Zn-Doped CuO Nanosheet Arrays for Efficient Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium.

CuO has been regarded as a promising catalyst for the electrochemical reduction of nitrate (NO3-RR) to ammonium (NH3); however, the intrinsic activity is greatly restricted by its poor electrical property. In this work, self-supported Zn-doped CuO nanosheet arrays (Zn-CuO NAs) are synthesized for NO3-RR, where the Zn dopant regulates the electronic structure of CuO to significantly accelerate the interfacial charge transfer and inner electron transport kinetics. The Zn-CuO NAs are constructed by a one-step etching of commercial brass (Cu64Zn36 alloy) in 0.1 M NaOH solution, which experiences a corrosion-oxidation-reconstruction process. Initially, the brass undergoes a dealloying procedure to produce nanosized Cu, which is immediately oxidized to the Cu2O unit with a low valence state. Subsequently, Cu2O is further oxidized to the CuO unit and reconstructed into nanosheets with the coprecipitation of Zn2+. For NO3-RR, Zn-CuO NAs show a high NH3 production rate of 945.1 μg h-1 cm-2 and a Faradaic efficiency of up to 95.6% at -0.7 V in 0.1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte with 0.01 M NaNO3, which outperforms the majority of the state-of-the-art catalysts. The present work offers a facile yet very efficient strategy for the scale-up synthesis of Zn-CuO NAs for high-performance NH3 production from NO3-RR.

Structural, optical and magnetic properties of Mn-doped CuO nanoparticles by coprecipitation method

Structural, optical, and magnetic properties of Mn-doped CuO nanoparticles with compositional formula Cu1-xMnxO (x = 0.00, 0.01, 0.02) were investigated. The monoclinic structure of CuO without a secondary phase has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The average crystallite size was determined by Debye-Scherer’s formula and found in the range of 8 nm to 14 nm. W-H analysis resulted in decreasing microstrain with an increase of Mn doping, indicating Mn incorporation in CuO host lattice. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images indicate that the pure and Mn-doped CuO nanoparticles have spherical-like morphology. UV–vis spectroscopy measurements revealed absorbance edge as a function of Mn doping. X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy (XPS) study indicates that both Cu and Mn ions have 2+ valences in the samples. The magnetic hysteresis loops of the nanoparticles showed paramagnetic behavior at room temperature.

Effect of Water Vapor on Oxidation Processes of the Cu(111) Surface and Sublayer.

Copper-based catalysts have different catalytic properties depending on the oxidation states of Cu. We report operando observations of the Cu(111) oxidation processes using near-ambient pressure scanning tunneling microscopy (NAP-STM) and near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS). The Cu(111) surface was chemically inactive to water vapor, but only physisorption of water molecules was observed by NAP-STM. Under O2 environments, dry oxidation started at the step edges and proceeded to the terraces as a Cu2O phase. Humid oxidation of the H2O/O2 gas mixture was also promoted at the step edges to the terraces. After the Cu2O covered the surface under humid conditions, hydroxides and adsorbed water layers formed. NAP-STM observations showed that Cu2O was generated at lower steps in dry oxidation with independent terrace oxidations, whereas Cu2O was generated at upper steps in humid oxidation. The difference in the oxidation mechanisms was caused by water molecules. When the surface was entirely oxidized, the diffusion of Cu and O atoms with a reconstruction of the Cu2O structures induced additional subsurface oxidation. NAP-XPS measurements showed that the Cu2O thickness in dry oxidation was greater than that in humid oxidation under all pressure conditions.

CuO/NiO nano-composite synthesized from banana peels for grow light

The essential electromagnetic radiation spectrum required for plant growth is provided by grow lights, which replicate the solar spectrum's spectral radiations. In this study, CuO, NiO, and CuO/NiO nanocomposites were synthesized from discarded banana peels. The yields of CuO, NiO, and NiO/CuO were 1.00 g, 0.99 g, and 1.2 g, respectively. The structural and optical properties of the synthesized material were investigated using x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopy. XRD analysis revealed that CuO, NiO, and CuO/NiO have crystalline monoclinic, cubic, and mixed phases, respectively. The average crystalline size was determined using the Scherrer formula and was found to be 18.89 nm, 11.27 nm, and 16.55 nm for CuO, NiO, and CuO/NiO, respectively. The FTIR spectrum showed that the Cu–O bond in the CuO structure is characterized by a broad band in the range of 480–486 cm−1, while the Ni-O bond stretching vibrations are assigned to a broad band in the range of 440–470 cm−1. The UV absorption study yielded an optical band gap of 1.74 eV for CuO, 3.60 eV for NiO, and 5.22 eV for NiO/CuO. The fluorescence spectroscopy results revealed similar emission spectra for CuO, NiO, and CuO/NiO, which are ideal for grow lights.

Core–shell structures of Cu2O constructed by carbon quantum dots as high-performance zinc-ion battery cathodes

Core–shell structure of Cu2O constructed by carbon quantum dots exhibited high discharge specific capacity and excellent rate performance. And the conversion-type zinc storage mechanism was confirmed by in situ XRD and in situ Raman technology.

High dielectric-energy storage and ferromagnetic-superparamagnetic properties: tetra-doping CuO nanocompositions

Tetra-doping by (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) ions strongly boosted the room temperature dielectric constant and the ferromagnetic-superparamagnetic characteristics of monoclinic CuO structure. In this study, undoped CuO, Cu0.98Mn0.005Fe0.005Co0.005Ni0.005O, Cu0.96Mn0.01Fe0.01Co0.01Ni0.01O and Cu0.94Mn0.015Fe0.015Co0.015Ni0.015O nanocompositions were synthesized through coprecipitation technique. The crystal structure analysis verified that all samples have a pure single phase, corresponding to monoclinic CuO structure. The substitution of Cu2+-sites into CuO lattice by Mn2+, Fe2+/3+, Co2+ and Ni2+ ions has been deduced from the expansions of lattice constant, shifts of XRD diffraction peaks and band gap energy alteration. The additions of (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) ions lead to the formation of homogenous distributed very fine spherical nanoparticles, especially at large concentrations of dopants (Cu0.94Mn0.015Fe0.015Co0.015Ni0.015O sample). The tetra-doping by (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) ions reduced the intensity of the diffuse reflectance alongside red shifted the absorption edge and the band gap energy of monoclinic CuO structure. Cu0.98Mn0.005Fe0.005Co0.005Ni0.005O exhibits a high relative permittivity value of 6096 at low frequency of 42 Hz with small dielectric loss tangent (tan δ) compared to pure one. The tetra-doping by (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) dopants induced excellent intrinsic ferromagnetic and superparamagnetic hysteresis loops into monoclinic CuO structure with full saturation loops shape and variable coercivity values.

Synthesis of Cu2O micro/nanocrystals for catalytic combustion of high-concentration CO: The crucial role of glucose

Cubic Cu2O micro/nanocrystals were successfully synthesized by liquid-phase reduction using copper salt of CuSO4 or CuCl2·2H2O, and glucose or ascorbic acid as reducing agent, respectively. The activity of the catalysts was evaluated by light-off curves of CO self-sustained catalytic combustion via temperature-programmed oxidation of CO (CO-TPO), with the results showing the activity of catalysts following the order of Cu2O–Cl-GLU > Cu2O–S-GLU > Cu2O–S-AA > Cu2O–Cl-AA, (Cl denotes CuCl2·2H2O, GLU denotes glucose, S denotes CuSO4 and AA denotes ascorbic acid, respectively), corresponding to the ignition temperature of 109 °C, 122 °C, 137 °C and 186 °C, respectively. The crystal structure, elemental valence, morphology and redox property of the prepared catalysts were analyzed by using various characterization techniques. Combined with in situ infrared spectrum, the CO self-sustained catalytic combustion over Cu2O catalysts mainly follows the Mars-van-Krevelen (M-v-K) mechanism: the adsorbed and activated CO reacts with lattice oxygen to yield CO2 and oxygen vacancy, and then the oxygen vacancy can be replenished by gaseous oxygen. Combined with catalytic performance of high-concentration CO, it is found that the catalysts prepared using glucose as reducing agent are more angular compared with ascorbic acid. The Cu2O–Cl-GLU synthesized with glucose and CuCl2·2H2O exhibits the best catalytic activity among all the catalysts tested, attributing to its more obvious edge and rough crystal surface. The unique structure of Cu2O–Cl-GLU leads to the high exposure rate and coordination unsaturation of atoms on the cubic Cu2O micro/nanocrystals that can improve the ability of activating gaseous O2 and low temperature reducibility, and consequently facilitating the catalytic activity.

Study on photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction over Cu2O

Cu2O is an attractive photocathode for CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). The instability of Cu2O usually makes it present as a part of composite or multilayer in CO2RR. The systematic study of pure Cu2O for CO2RR is quite rare, resulting in the elusiveness of the origin for the activity and selectivity of CO2RR under different conditions. Herein, exploration of the factors that influence the product distribution and Faradic efficiency of CO2RR using pure Cu2O is carried out, like Cu2O structure and electrolyte composition. Persistent Cu+ is found to be key for selective CO2RR, especially favoring the formation of C2 product (CH3COOH). The Cu2O film thickness, local pH, and the electrolyte cations are revealed to influence the amount of surface Cu+. The number of H+ and dissolved CO2 affected by electrolytes also account for the disparity of CO2RR results. Therefore, by considering both the CO2RR and the dynamic change of Cu2O, this work has provided a compositional descriptor to link the structure of Cu2O and the CO2RR property, which can be useful for future development of Cu2O-based catalysts.

Schiff base coordination compounds including thiosemicarbazide derivative and 4-benzoyl-1,3-diphenyl-5-pyrazolone: Synthesis, structural spectral characterization and biological activity

A new thiosemicarbazone ligand containing an allyl group and a 5-pyrazolone derivative has been prepared. The reaction of this ligand (H2L) with chloride and nitrate salts of Co(II), Cu(II), Pd(II), and Ni(II), Cu(II) ions resulted in the formation of different chelates having variable chemical formulas. Structural characterization of H2L ligand and its chelates has been established employing microanalytical, molar conductivity, magnetic moment measurements as well as spectral techniques including IR, UV–vis, NMR, mass, XRD, and ESR spectra. The spectral and microanalytical data achieved the monobasic tridentate binding mode with the metal(II) ion through SNO and NNO donor sites in complexes (2,5) and (3,4), respectively. In addition, the thiosemicarbazone ligand acts as a neutral bidentate species (NS) and neutral or mononegative bidentate species (NO) in complexes (6) and (1), respectively. Based on electronic spectra analyses (UV–vis) and magnetic moment measurements, all chelates, with the exception of those of Co(II) and Pd(II) ions, which have square planar geometrical structures, revealed a square pyramidal structure. Furthermore, the ESR spectra of Cu(II) chelates (3–5) have been investigated, yielding 2B1g as an axial ground state. The chemical formulae for the metal chelates were determined using thermogravimetric investigations (TG and DTG), demonstrating both their thermal stability and the presence of various crystalline solvents. Metal oxide (MO) or metal with traces of carbon was the residue of the thermal degradation processes. Based on XRD analysis, the structures of allopalladium (O-dopped Pd), monoclinic CuO, and tetragonal metallic cobalt nanoparticles obtained thermally from chelates (1,3,4,6) were elucidated. Copper(II) chelates (3) and (4) display the highest anticancer activity against hepatocellular carcinoma cells (Hep G-2) testes, according to the biological studies for the ligand and some of its chelates.

Photocatalytic activities of TiO2 nanoparticles modified by nanoclusters of copper oxides prepared by atomic layer deposition

We employed atomic layer deposition to deposit nanoclusters of Cu2O on TiO2 nanoparticles to produce TiO2/Cu2O photocatalysts with the Cu concentration in the range of 0.4 - 4.6%. By annealing the TiO2/Cu2O photocatalysts in the air at 400 °C for 4 h, the oxidation of Cu2O resulted in the formation of TiO2/CuO photocatalysts having the same Cu concentration. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction characterizations demonstrated the successful deposition of Cu2O nanoclusters with an average diameter in the range of 1.3 - 2.0 nm and a face-centered cubic crystalline structure, whereas a weak signal of the monoclinic structure of CuO was detected for the TiO2/Cu2O catalysts. The photocatalytic activity of the TiO2/Cu2O and the TiO2/CuO photocatalysts was investigated by the degradation of RhB under UV radiation. The results show that the presence of Cu2O and CuO nanoclusters could improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2, and for the same Cu concentration, the TiO2/Cu2O photocatalyst provided higher catalytic activity than the TiO2/CuO counterpart.

Improvement in photo-device properties of CuO thin films for opto-electronic applications: effects of (Ni, Co) co-doping

We report co-doping effects of transition metal elements (Ni, Co) primarily on the opto-electronic properties of CuO thin films. CuO, CuO:Ni(1%), CuO:Co(1%) and CuO:Ni(1%):Co(1%) thin films were deposited via the spray pyrolysis route. Structural studies revealed the monoclinic CuO structure for all films. For all the films scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed a crack-free and homogeneous surface. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of all the films exhibited four emission peaks at 415, 451, 477, and 521 nm wavelengths. The optical bandgap (E g) values were around 2.12 eV, 2.18 eV, 2.05 eV and 1.84 eV for CuO, CuO:Ni(1%), CuO:Co(1%) and CuO:Ni(1%):Co(1%)thin films, respectively. CuO:Ni(1%):Co(1%) photo-device displayed a large responsivity (R) of 0.43 AW−1, external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 100% and detectivity (D *) of 9.55 × 109 Jones. Hence, co-doping of transition metal elements would be one of the effective approaches for enhancing opto-electronic properties of metal oxide compounds.

Impact of zinc on the physical and morphological properties of sputtered copper oxide thin films

In this study, thin films of pure and zinc (Zn) doped copper oxides were successfully deposited on a glass substrate via reactive magnetron sputtering at varying Zn concentrations. The effects of oxygen/argon ratio and dopant dosage on the structure, morphology, and topography of films were analyzed by the X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Raman, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The investigations through XRD and Raman revealed the formation of CuO, and Cu2O phases during the copper oxide deposition at 20% oxygen partial pressure, while an increase in the oxygen partial pressure up to 50% resulted in the formation of single-phase CuO. XRD spectra of the Zn-doped films indicated the monoclinic structure of CuO with a gradual increase in the cell volume from 91 A3˙ in the undoped sample to 123 A3˙ in the sample with a high dopant concentration. By increasing the applied RF power from 10 to 40 W, the cationic ratio (Zn/Zn + Cu) increased from 0.007 to 0.039. AFM analysis figured out the decrease of surface roughness from 11.04 nm in the undoped sample to 3.57 nm in the highly Zn-doped sample. In FESEM images, semi-spherical particles with uniform distribution were observed. By increasing the oxygen partial pressure from 20% to 40% in undoped samples, the average grain size was reduced from 110 to 68 nm, but doping by Zn did not affect the grain size significantly.

Rapid preparation of CuO composite graphene for portable electrochemical sensing of sulfites based on laser etching technique

Sulfite (SO32-) is mostly used as a preservative in food products, and excessive human intake can lead to cardiac and cerebral discomfort and other adverse effects. Considering the high cost of existing SO32- detection methods and the complexity of sample handling, this study is based on laser-induced graphene technology and the simultaneous preparation of multisite copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles and their attachment to the graphene surface, which can help to fully contact with SO32-, so as to develop a highly sensitive and consistent screen-printed electrode as an electrochemical sensor (CuO/rGO/SPE). A portable electrochemical workstation and a specially designed snap-in interface are then used for portable detection of SO32-. The structure and composition of CuO were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), etc. The electrochemical performance of the CuO/rGO/SPE sensor was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The linear response range of the electrode was 1–300 μM, the electrode sensitivity was 122.3 μAcm−2mM−1, and the detection limit was 0.2425 μM. Therefore, the CuO/rGO/SPE electrode has remarkable selectivity, stability, and reliability.

Effect of PVP surfactant on the synthesis of CuO nanoribbons by the chemical reduction method

This work developed a simple and time-dependent method to synthesize CuO nanoribbons. For this, the concentration of the precursor salt (CuCl2), surfactant (PVP), and reaction times were varied, keeping constant the reducing agent (NaBH4). SEM, TEM, XRD, and EDS characterized CuO ribbon-like particles' morphology, chemical composition, and structure. SEM studies confirmed that CuO nanoribbons appear after three weeks of reaction aging by mixing CuCl2 (17 mM), NaBH4 (26 mM), and PVP (1.6 mM). The nanoribbons have a relatively low aspect ratio of 2 to 3 µm long and around 60 nm wide. XRD and TEM confirmed the monoclinic structure of the CuO nanoribbons. SEM micrographs also indicated that as the salt concentration decreases to 10 mM, the size of the products decreases, and nanosheet-like nanostructures with lengths less than 1 μm and thicknesses of 100 nm are formed. PVP was found to have a great influence on the morphology of the nanostructures. For example, low amounts of PVP increase particle oxidation, easily driving the formation of CuO nanoribbons. At the same time, larger amounts stabilize the formation of Cu2O octahedral particles.

Facile synthesis of discus-like porous CuO architectures and their enhanced xylene gas sensing performances

• Discus-like porous CuO architectures are fabricated by a facile route. • Discus-like porous CuO can rapidly detect xylene with superior stability. • Porous structure and catalytic oxidation of CuO improve sensing behaviors. The discus-like porous CuO architectures have been successfully synthesized through a facile room temperature coprecipitation approach followed by subsequent annealing treatment. The multiple characterizations by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) demonstrate that the as-prepared CuO samples show unique discus-like porous structures with superior morphological homogeneity and dispersion. When applied as a gas sensing material, discus-like porous CuO based gas sensor shows an enhanced xylene gas sensing performance, including a fast response/recovery speed (2 s/13 s) and well stability as well as repeatability at an optimal working temperature of 260 ℃. The superior xylene gas sensing properties are predominantly attributed to the synergistic effect of porous discus-like architectures and the catalytic oxidation of p-type semiconductor CuO on xylene gas.

Substrate Effect on Liquid Petroleum Gas Sensors of Cuprous Oxide Thin Films Electrodeposited in Acetate Bath

Cuprous oxide thin films were electrodeposited in an acetate bath (∼60 °C) using FTO, ITO, Ti, and Cu substrates to understand their influence on the surface morphology of the films and their wetting nature against Liquid Petroleum gas (LPG). According to spectral response and capacitance-voltage analysis, n-Cu2O films resulted in the electrodeposition bath at pH range of 5.7–6.5. In addition, SEM data revealed the substrate effect on crystal morphologies of Cu2O thin films with unique porous and tetrahedron structures of Cu2O having different grain sizes. XRD analysis gives evidence in support of these grain size variation which emphasized Ti and ITO to have the lowest grain sizes of 24 nm and 30.9 nm respectively. Following the contact angle measurements and their wetting natures, characterized films were subjected to LP gas sensing evaluations in which, proved that deposited n-Cu2O films on FTO, ITO, and Ti can improve gas sensor performances with their moderate wetting behaviors. Under stable sensing conditions, ITO exhibits the most enhanced LPG response, recovery, and stability over time. In comparison, all the experimental results unveiled that substrates do have a major effect, in optimizing interface properties of Cu2O films to achieve better response in many fields of applications.

Room-temperature sensing performance of CuO/Cu2O nanocomposites towards n-butanol

Sensing toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at room temperature is of importance for the future applications in light of safety and energy-saving concerns. In this study, a simple method for preparing the CuO/Cu2O spherical nanocomposites was developed by calcining the pristine Cu2O nanospheres in air at 140 °C for different times. Among the CuO/Cu2O composites, the CuO/Cu2O-2 sample showed the highest sensing response (5.9) and short response/recovery time towards 100-ppm n-butanol at room temperature. This response was two times higher than that of the pristine Cu2O nanospheres (2.8). The enhanced sensing mechanism of CuO/Cu2O-2 was attributed to the several reasons: (1) larger specific area; (2) abundant pores and suitable pore size distribution; (3) the new-formed amorphous CuO with the calcination; and (4) the electron sensitization, which was originated from the band bending caused by the different band structures of CuO and Cu2O. The CuO/Cu2O nanocomposites shed light on promising materials to achieve the room-temperature detection of n-butanol in practical application.

An investigation on CuO thin films grown by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis at different substrate temperatures: Structural, optical and supercapacitor electrode characterizations

Copper oxide (CuO) thin films were grown on glass substrates by performing ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) method at different substrate temperatures (300 °C, 400 °C, 450 °C, and 500 °C). The prepared CuO thin films were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX), UV–visible spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy measurements in order to assess the effects changed substrate temperature on structural, morphological, and optical properties of the grown materials. Also, the suitability of the grown films as electrodes in supercapacitor applications was investigated with respect to variable substrate temperatures. The XRD patterns revealed that the samples were polycrystalline in nature exhibiting tenorite phase of CuO structure preferential orientation along (11 1‾) plane and the corresponding crystallite size ranged from 28.14 nm to 67.98 nm. The SEM images displayed morphological modifications in the prepared CuO thin films as the substrate temperatures incresed. The XPS and EDX analyses confirmed the successful deposition of aimed materials on the fabricated thin films. It was also obtained that optical absorbance decreased due to the increased substrate temperatures and optical energy bandgaps changed between 1.53 eV and 1.71 eV as the substrate temperatures varied. The electrochemical supercapacitive features of the CuO nanostructures thin films were studied with the help of cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvostatic charge-discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).

Influence of hole interface layer on the performance of cadmium telluride-based thin film solar cell

The numerical modeling of cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film solar cell employing p + Cu2O as the hole Interface Layer is presented in this study. SCAPS software was used to analyze the performance of ZnO/CdS/CdTe/Cu2O with different absorber layer thicknesses. Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is used as a hole transport layer in the suggested structure. Efficiency (η) without Cu2O is 19.10 percent (with VOC = 0.81 V, JSC = 27.12 mA/cm2, FF = 86.01 percent) and efficiency (η) with Cu2O is 25.39 percent (with VOC = 1.11 V, JSC = 27.91 mA/cm2, FF = 83.53 percent) for ZnO/CdS/CdTe/Cu2O structure. The Cu2O layer minimizes recombination losses at the back contact, increasing the cell's efficiency. As a result, utilizing SCAPS to simulate the proposed cell is beneficial to understand photovoltaic devices.