1：Experimental Design and Method Selection:

A multi-stage wet chemical solution process was used, specifically an acetate-assisted sol-gel method. The synthesis involved first preparing ZnO cores and then coating them with a CuO shell.

2：Sample Selection and Data Sources:

High purity zinc acetate and cupric acetate were used as raw materials. Samples included ZnO cores and ZnO-CuO core–shell nano-composite.

3：List of Experimental Equipment and Materials:

Magnetic stirrer, X-ray diffractometer (Philips: PW 3040/60, X-pert PRO), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope, UV–Visible spectrometer (SPECORD 200+), LCR meter (agilent E4980A), furnace with temperature controller.

4：Experimental Procedures and Operational Workflow:

ZnO cores were synthesized by dissolving zinc acetate in acetic acid and water, stirring at 95°C, drying at 120°C, calcining at 200°C, and sintering at 550°C. For the core–shell, cupric acetate was added to the ZnO cores at 80°C and pH 10, followed by centrifugation, washing, and drying at 80°C. Characterization included XRD, FESEM, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and AC conductivity measurements from 100 Hz to 2 MHz at temperatures from room temperature to 210°C.

5：Data Analysis Methods:

XRD patterns were indexed using JCPDS cards. UV-Vis data were analyzed using Tauc's law to calculate band gaps. AC conductivity was calculated using σac = σtotal – σdc and fitted to Jonscher's power law; thermal activation energy was derived from Arrhenius plots.