A facile hydrothermal route to synthesize novel Co3O4 nanoplates

Novel Co3O4 nanoplates and nanobelts were formed on a large scale by a facile and efficient hydrothermal process. The samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD). In the same experiment situation, 1D Ni(OH)2 nanowires and ZnO irregular nanoplates were synthesized. The concentration of OH− is important to control the shape of final product. TBAB is the key reactant to form 1D nanostructure. In this report, we demonstrate the fabrication of Co3O4 with various morphologies (plate-, belt-, cube-, urchin-like). The method is a good way to synthesize other 1D metal oxide nanostructures.