our results in the field of adopting the chemical bath deposition method (CBD) for the deposition of the nanostructures of copper compounds are presented in this work. The deposition of copper compounds by means of the CBD method was carried out at the water solution of copper nitrate (acetate) salts and hexamethylenetetramine. There are two distinct periods in the deposition of copper compounds in the same bath. At the shorter deposition time the good quality nanocrystals of the copper hydroxy nitrate (acetate) salts with a different morphology are obtained. Decomposition of the copper salts to the CuO in the water bath can be observed after several hours of the copper hydroxy salts deposition. The SEM images and the XRD patterns of the CuO layer, which was produced by decomposition of copper hydroxy salts by the CBD method, show a morphology and texture different from the CuO layer prepared by thermal decomposition of the deposited copper hydroxy salts at an elevated temperature. It has been suggested that the main force in decomposition of copper hydroxy salts to CuO in the course of CBD process may be related with a strain, which exists between the CuO nanoparticles on the modified glass substrate and the deposited copper hydroxy salt. The decomposition reaction of copper hydroxy salts in the solid phase may be accelerated by a strain. The influence of the strain on the morphology of CuO nanostructures is demonstrated on the basis of the basic copper nitrate salt hybridised with titanate nanosheets. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V.