Growth and sensing properties of networked p-CuO nanowires

•Networked p-CuO nanowires were synthesized by thermal oxidation.•The Cu layer deposited by e-beam evaporation was used to grow p-CuO nanowires.•CuO nanowires grown on adjacent round-shape electrode pads were entangled.•p-CuO nanowires sensor is suitable for detecting reducing gases than oxidizing one. Networked p-CuO nanowires were grown on patterned-electrode pads by the thermal oxidation of Cu layers. Vertically aligned CuO nanowires grown on adjacent round-shape electrode pads were entangled, eventually forming nanowire–nanowire junctions. The sensing properties of the networked CuO nanowires were examined for a range of oxidizing gases, such as NO2, SO2 and O2, and reducing gases, such as CO, C6H6, C7H8, and H2, and compared with those of networked n-SnO2 nanowires. The gas responses of the networked CuO nanowires to the tested oxidizing gases were inferior to those of networked n-SnO2 nanowires. In contrast, for reducing gases, the networked CuO nanowires showed comparable gas responses to the networked n-SnO2 nanowires. The results suggest that the networked CuO nanowires are more promising for the detection of reducing gases rather than oxidizing gases.