Facile and green synthesis of mesoporous Co3O4 nanowires

• Mesoporous Co3O4 nanowires were prepared via a simple method.
• No surfactant was used.
• Diameter and length of the porous nanowires can be tuned.
• Specific surface area could reach 56.6 m2 g−1.

Mesoporous Co3O4 nanowires with length up to 5–10 μm were fabricated by a facile solution synthetic process and combined with subsequent calcination of the precursor at atmospheric pressure. The samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, and Raman techniques. It was found that the amount of initial cobalt salt played an important role in the formation of porous Co3O4 nanowires. The current method is quite simple and environment friendly, and can be extended to the synthesis of other porous nanomaterials. Due to the high specific area and mesoporous structure, these porous Co3O4 nanowires are expected to have potential applications in supercapacitors and lithium-ion battery with promising electrochemical performance.

Mesoporous Co3O4 nanowires with length up to 5–10 μm were fabricated by a facile solution synthetic process and combined with subsequent calcination of the precursor at atmospheric pressure. The specific surface area and pore size of these Co3O4 nanowires are 56.6 m2 g−1 and 9.6 nm, respectively, so they are expected to have potential applications in catalyst, sensor, and energy storage fields.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide