Solvothermal synthesis of sodium cobalt fluoride (NaCoF3) nanoparticle clusters

•A simple solvothermal method was developed for the synthesis of nanostructured NaCoF3.•The obtained NaCoF3 showed a nanoparticle cluster structure with a large surface area.•The effects of reaction conditions and an essential additive were investigated.

In this study, we developed a facile synthetic method for the preparation of nanostructured sodium cobalt fluoride (NaCoF3). Uniform NaCoF3 nanoparticles with small-crystallite size were synthesized through a simple solvothermal process using relatively inexpensive precursors. The NaCoF3 particles obtained were composed of small nanoparticles (∼20 nm) assembled to form large nanoparticle clusters (NPCs, ∼200 nm). This unique nanostructure provided a large surface area (>40 m2 g−1) of NaCoF3. Furthermore, the effects of reaction conditions and an essential additive (trisodium citrate) were also investigated using analytical techniques, and the importance of the optimal conditions to obtain uniform NaCoF3 NPCs without impurities was demonstrated. We expect that this synthetic method will initiate further research into the development of various nanostructured sodium metal fluorides and their applications.

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