Shape‐Controlled Synthesis of NiCo2O4 Microstructures and Their Application in Supercapacitors

The shape‐controlled synthesis of NiCo₂O₄ microstructures through a facile hydrothermal method and subsequent calcinations was explored. By employing CoSO₄, NiSO₄, and urea as the starting reactants, flower‐like NiCo₂O₄ microstructures were obtained at 100 °C after 5 h without the assistance of any additive and subsequent calcination at 300 °C for 2 h; dumbbell‐like NiCo₂O₄ microstructures were prepared at 150 °C after 5 h in the presence of trisodium citrate and subsequent calcination at 300 °C for 2 h. The as‐prepared NiCo₂O₄ microstructures were characterized by X‐ray powder diffraction, field‐emission scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, and (high‐resolution) transmission electron microscopy. Both the flower‐like and dumbbell‐like NiCo₂O₄ microstructures could be used as electrode materials for supercapacitors, and they exhibited excellent electrochemical performance, including high specific capacitance, good rate capability, and excellent long‐term cycle stability. Simultaneously, the shape‐dependent electrochemical properties of the product were investigated.     

Macroporous Co3O4 platelets with excellent rate capability as anodes for lithium ion batteries

This paper reports the microwave-assisted synthesis of Co₃O₄ nanomaterials with different morphologies including nanoparticles, rod-like nanoclusters and macroporous platelets. The new macroporous platelet-like Co₃O₄ morphology was found to be the best suitable for reversible lithium storage properties. It displayed superior cycling performances than nanoparticles and rod-like nanoclusters. More interestingly, excellent high rate capabilities (811 mAh g^?1 at 1780 mA g^?1 and 746 mAh g^?1 at 4450 mA g^?1) were observed for macroporous Co₃O₄ platelet. The good electrochemical performance could be attributed to the unique macroporous platelet structure of Co₃O₄ materials.     

High performance anode-supported intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs) with La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.2O3−δ electrolyte films prepared by electrophoretic deposition

Remarkable power density was obtained for anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) based on La_0.8Sr_0.2Ga_0.8Mg_0.2O_3−δ (LSGM) electrolyte films, fabricated following an original procedure that allowed avoiding undesired reactions between LSGM and electrode materials, especially Ni. Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) was used for the fabrication of 30 μm-thick electrolyte films. Anode supports were made of La_0.4Ce_0.6O_2−x (LDC). The LSGM powder was deposited by EPD on an LDC green tape-cast membrane added with carbon powder, both as pore former and substrate conductivity booster. A subsequent co-firing step at 1490 °C produced dense electrolyte films on porous LDC skeletons. Then, a La_0.8Sr_0.2Fe_0.8Co_0.2O_3−δ (LSFC) cathode was applied by slurry-coating and calcined at 1100 °C. Finally, the porous LDC layer was impregnated with molten Ni nitrate to obtain, after calcination at 900 °C, a composite NiO–LDC anode. Maximum power densities of 780, 450, 275, 175, and 100 mW/cm² at 700, 650, 600, 550, and 500 °C, respectively, were obtained using H₂ as fuel and air as oxidant, demonstrating the success of the processing strategy. As a comparison, electrolyte-supported SOFCs made of the same materials were tested, showing a maximum power density of 150 mW/cm² at 700 °C, more than 5 times smaller than the anode-supported counterpart.     

Synthesis and electrochemical capacitive behaviors of Co3O4 nanostructures from a novel biotemplating technique

A novel approach is developed to synthesize Co₃O₄ nanoparticles utilizing sawdust as a bio-template. Sawdust was first infiltrated with cobalt dichloride aqueous solution, and then, in situ precipitation reaction took place when different precipitators (NaOH or H₂C₂O₄) were added. Finally, the precursors, Co(OH)₂ and CoC₂O₄, were calcined to produce the final Co₃O₄ nanoparticles and the template was removed simultaneously. The structure and morphology of the obtained products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The observations revealed the formation of cubic phase Co₃O₄ with the average diameter of about 40 and 60 nm, respectively. Their electrochemical properties were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge–discharge tests. The highest specific capacitance of 289.7 F g⁻¹ for the obtained Co₃O₄ electrode was obtained even at a discharge current of 20 mA after the 100th cycle and it increased by about 4% after the 1,000th cycle, demonstrating good electrochemical stability of such electrode materials.     

Co3O4纳米立方体的可控合成及其CO氧化反应性能

在乙醇和三乙胺的混合溶液中,采用溶剂热法制备了尺寸为10 nm的Co₃O₄立方体. 考察了钴盐前驱体和溶解氧对Co₃O₄纳米立方体结构的影响规律,通过对合成过程中不同阶段产物的结构分析和表征,提出了Co₃O₄纳米立方体的形成机制是溶解再结晶的过程. 将所制备的Co₃O₄纳米立方体在200 ℃焙烧处理后,尺寸和形貌均可保持稳定,但400 ℃焙烧后,变为球形纳米粒子. 这种主要暴露{100}晶面的Co₃O₄纳米立方体催化CO氧化反应的活性低于纳米粒子({111}晶面),验证了四氧化三钴纳米材料在CO氧化反应中的晶面效应.     

Porous cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanorods: Facile syntheses, optical property and application in lithium-ion batteries

We developed a facile synthetic route of porous cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄) nanorods via a microemulsion-based method in combination with subsequent calcination process. The porous structure was formed by controlled decomposition of the microemulsion-synthesized precursor CoC₂O₄ nanorods without destruction of the original morphology. The as-prepared Co₃O₄ nanorods, consisting of small nanoparticles with diameter of 80–150 nm, had an average diameter of 200 nm and a length of 3–5 μm. The morphology and structure of synthesized samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The phase and composition were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The optical property of Co₃O₄ nanorods was investigated. Moreover, the porous Co₃O₄ nanorods exhibited high electrochemical performance when applied as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, which gives them good potential applications.     

Cellulose scaffolds modulated synthesis of Co<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanocrystals: preparation,characterization and properties

Magnetic Co₃O₄ nanoparticles were prepared by using microporous regenerated cellulose films as sacrificial scaffolds. The cellulose macromolecules and the porous structure of the films made them used as spatially confined reacting sites where Co(OH)₂ nanoparticles could be synthesized in situ. When the cellulose matrix was removed by sintering at 500 °C, Co₃O₄ nanoparticles were obtained. XRD and XPS indicated that the prepared nanoparticles were pure Co₃O₄ without any impurity. TEM and SEM images revealed that the particle size of the nanoparticles was smaller than 100 nm. The nanoparticles had weak ferromagnetic properties at 25 °C. Furthermore, the pronounced quantum confinement effects of the synthesized nanoparticles have been observed, the optical bandgap energies determined were about 1.92 ~ 2.12 and 2.74 ~ 2.76 eV for O²⁻ → Co³⁺ and O²⁻ → Co²⁺ charge-transfer processes, respectively. Furthermore, the resulted Co₃O₄ nanoparticles behaved stable electrochemical performance with promising applications in the electrode for lithium ion battery.     

Microwave‐assisted Synthesis and Its Reversible Li‐storage Properties of Porous Sheet‐like Co3O4

Porous Co₃O₄ nanosheets were designed and fabricated from common Co(NO₃ )₂ solution without any surfactants or templates under microwave radiation conditions. After the microstructures and morphologies were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM ), X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD ), transmission electron microscopy (TEM ), and N₂ absorption/desorption isotherms techniques, the obtained Co₃O₄ nanosheets were applied for reversible Li‐storage, displaying larger capacity, better cycling performance and rate capability, i.e., a reversible specific capacity of ca. 800 mAh /g during initial 30 cycles and a reversible capacity of 450 mAh /g at 2C for Co₃O₄ nanosheets, which were almost twice higher than those for Co₃O₄ nanoparticles. The improved cycling stability could be attributed to the remarkable synergistic effects between porous structures and nanosheet‐like morphologies.     

Synthesis of 2D/2D Structured Mesoporous Co3O4 Nanosheet/N‐Doped Reduced Graphene Oxide Composites as a Highly Stable Negative Electrode for Lithium Battery Applications

Mesoporous Co₃O₄ nanosheets (Co₃O₄‐NS) and nitrogen‐doped reduced graphene oxide (N‐rGO) are synthesized by a facile hydrothermal approach, and the N‐rGO/Co₃O₄‐NS composite is formulated through an infiltration procedure. Eventually, the obtained composites are subjected to various characterization techniques, such as XRD, Raman spectroscopy, surface area analysis, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and TEM. The lithium‐storage properties of N‐rGO/Co₃O₄‐NS composites are evaluated in a half‐cell assembly to ascertain their suitability as a negative electrode for lithium‐ion battery applications. The 2D/2D nanostructured mesoporous N‐rGO/Co₃O₄‐NS composite delivered a reversible capacity of about 1305 and 1501 mAh g^?1 at a current density of 80 mA g^?1 for the 1st and 50th cycles, respectively. Furthermore, excellent cyclability, rate capability, and capacity retention characteristics are noted for the N‐rGO/Co₃O₄‐NS composite. This improved performance is mainly related to the existence of mesoporosity and a sheet‐like 2D hierarchical morphology, which translates into extra space for lithium storage and a reduced electron pathway. Also, the presence of N‐rGO and carbon shells in Co₃O₄‐NS should not be excluded from such exceptional performance, which serves as a reliable conductive channel for electrons and act as synergistically to accommodate volume expansion upon redox reactions. Ex‐situ TEM, impedance spectroscopy, and XPS, are also conducted to corroborate the significance of the 2D morphology towards sustained lithium storage.     

Recovery of H2SO4 from wastewater in the presence of NaCl and KHCO3 through pH responsive polysulfone membrane: Optimization approach

Through the phase inversion technique, asymmetric flat sheet pH-responsive Polysulfone (PSF) membrane was prepared and utilized for recovering H₂SO₄ in the presence of NaCl and KHCO₃ from wastewater. Hydrophilic and pH-responsive characteristics were incorporated within the membrane by blending Polyethylene glycol methyl ether (PEGME) and Humic acid (HA). The modification in membrane morphology with pH was characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier Transform Infrared Studies (FTIR) method. The ion exchange capacity of the prepared pH-responsive membrane increased from 0.145 to 0.25 mmol/g when compared to the pristine PSF membrane. Pure water flux (PWF) of 113.8–46.8 L/m²h, water uptake of 25.9%–6.8% were obtained for pH-responsive membrane when pH varied from 4 to 12. Recovery of H₂SO₄ was optimized by design expert software 9.0 TRIAL and was found to be a maximum of 76.57 ± 1.5% in the presence of 0.32 M NaCl and 0.5 M KHCO₃ at pH ~8.4, through the pH-responsive PSF membrane by diffusion dialysis process. The influencing parameters (pH, NaCl (M) and KHCO₃ (M)) were optimized and acid recovery modeling was performed through response surface methodology (RSM) and central composite design (CCD). F value of 6573.40 through ANOVA study indicated the significance of the quadratic model chosen, whereas an insignificant lack of fit (prob > F = 0.0519) confirmed the goodness of fit between the model and obtained experimental data's.     

Preparation of nano-Co3O4-coated Albizia procera-derived carbon by direct thermal decomposition method for electrochemical water oxidation

It is obtained that nano-Co₃O₄-coated carbon prepared by thermal decomposition of Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O at 300 °C on home-made Albizia procera (Roxb.) leaves derived carbon is an efficient electrocatalyst for electrochemical water oxidation in 0.1 M NaOH (aq.) solution. The loading of nano-Co₃O₄ on the carbon was changed by varying the amount of precursor of cobalt (100–1000 mg) and using a constant amount of the carbon (200 mg) during thermal decomposition. The prepared samples were characterized by physical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XRD, TEM, FESEM, and EDS confirmed the formation of uniformly distributed nanoparticles of single-phase Co₃O₄ on the surface of carbon. The XRD data reveals formation of nano-Co₃O₄ with average particle sizes in the range of 9–17 nm. The FESEM micrographs demonstrate that Co₃O₄ nanoparticles, having irregular morphology, are uniformly and densely covered on the surface of supporting carbon.. The prepared samples were immobilized on the filter paper derived carbon electrode (FPCE) to study their electrocatalytic properties toward water oxidation. The cyclic voltammetric studies showed that the nano-Co₃O₄-C prepared using 400 mg of Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O (nano-Co₃O₄-C-400), which possesses meso- and macropores with BET surface area of 192.4 m²/g, reaches a current density of 28 mAcm⁻² at 1.5 V and electrochemical water oxidation starting potential of 0.7 V. In this work, it is also shown that the current densities, at 1.5 V, increase by increasing the amount of cobalt oxide in the prepared samples though. The nano-Co₃O₄-C-400 catalyst shows optimum performance for electrochemical water oxidation in terms of starting water oxidation potential, reasonable amount of Co₃O₄ and moderate level of current density at 1.5 V.     

Preparation and characterization of nanocrystalline CoFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> deposited on SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>: in situ sol–gel process

In situ base catalyst assisted sol–gel process is used for the synthesis of nanocrystalline CoFe₂O₄ deposition on SiO₂ particles. The SiO₂ particles were prepared using base catalyst assisted sol–gel process and the consecutive formation and deposition of nanocrystalline CoFe₂O₄ on SiO₂ particles was monitored using Powder X ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermo Gravimetric And Differential Thermal Analysis (TG/DTA), Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X ray Spectroscopy (SEM–EDS) and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM). The crystallite size of CoFe₂O₄ is calculated using Scherrer’s formula and it is found to be 8 nm. The HRTEM images and selective area electron diffraction (SAED) results confirmed the formation of nanocrystalline CoFe₂O₄ particles deposited over SiO₂ spheres.     

The Interplay between Structure and Product Selectivity of CO2 Hydrogenation

Identification of the active structure under reaction conditions is of great importance for the rational design of heterogeneous catalysts. However, this is often hampered by their structural complexity. The interplay between the surface structure of Co₃O₄ and the CO₂ hydrogenation is described. Co₃O₄ with morphology‐dependent crystallographic surfaces presents different reducibility and formation energy of oxygen vacancies, thus resulting in distinct steady‐state composition and product selectivity. Co₃O₄‐0 h rhombic dodecahedra were completely reduced to Co⁰ and CoO, which presents circa 85 % CH₄ selectivity. In contrast, Co₃O₄‐2 h nanorods were partially reduced to CoO, which exhibits a circa 95 % CO selectivity. The crucial role of the Co₃O₄ structure in determining the catalytic performance for higher alcohol synthesis over CuCo‐based catalysts is demonstrated. As expected, Cu/Co₃O₄‐2 h shows nine‐fold higher ethanol yield than Cu/Co₃O₄‐0 h owing to the inhibition for methanation.     

ChemInform Abstract: Cobalt—Zinc Molybdates as New Blue Pigments Involving Co2+ in Distorted Trigonal Bipyramids and Octahedra.

Zn_1-xCo_xMoO₄ (x < 0.3) powders are prepared by solid state reaction of stoichiometric mixtures of MoO₃, Co₃O₄, and ZnO (alumina crucible, 700 °C, 20 h and 800 °C, 10 h).     

Immobilized Au nanoparticles on chitosan-biguanidine modified Fe3O4 nanoparticles and investigation of its anti-human lung cancer activity

In current nanoscience bioengineered magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) have come into prominence with considerable impact. These advanced functional materials find outstanding applications in chemical science in catalysis, environmental issues, sensing etc, as well as in biology as drug delivery agent, chemical therapeutics and others. We have been prompted to architect and synthesize a novel Au NP adorned over chitosan-biguanidine polyplex modified core–shell type magnetic nanocomposite (Fe₃O₄/CS-biguanidine/Au NPs). The bioshells facilitate to protect the core ferrite NPs as well as provides stability to the synthesized Au NPs by capping. The material was characterized using different analytical techniques like Fourier Transformed Infra-Red spectroscopy (FT-IR), Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Microscopy (ICP-OES), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) studies. We explored the biological application of the nanocomposite in determining cytotoxicity of three adenocarcinoma cell lines (PC-14, LC-2/ad, HLC-1) through the MTT assay. The material showed very good activity by exhibiting very low % cell viability over the cell lines dose-dependently. The IC50 of Fe₃O₄/CS-biguanidine/Au NPs were observed 503, 398 and 475 µg/mL respectively against the three cell lines. The best output was observed at a concentration of 1000 µg/mL of catalyst in terms of cytotoxicity and inhibition of lung cancer growth. The anti-cancer potential was found in close relation to their antioxidant potential.     

Facile synthesis of cobalt oxide/reduced graphene oxide composites for electrochemical capacitor and sensor applications

Reduced graphene oxide sheets decorated with cobalt oxide nanoparticles (Co₃O₄/rGO) were produced using a hydrothermal method without surfactants. Both the reduction of GO and the formation of Co₃O₄ nanoparticles occurred simultaneously under this condition. At the same current density of 0.5 A g⁻¹, the Co₃O₄/rGO nanocomposites exhibited much a higher specific capacitance (545 F g⁻¹) than that of bare Co₃O₄ (100 F g⁻¹). On the other hand, for the detection of H₂O₂, the peak current of Co₃O₄/rGO was 4 times higher than that of Co₃O₄. Moreover, the resulting composite displayed a low detection limit of 0.62 μM and a high sensitivity of 28,500 μA mM⁻¹cm⁻² for the H₂O₂ sensor. These results suggest that the Co₃O₄/rGO nanocomposite is a promising material for both supercapacitor and non-enzymatic H₂O₂ sensor applications.     

Chemischer Transport fester Lösungen: Der chemische Transport von Mischkristallen im System Co3O4 /CoGa2O4

Chemical Transport of Solid Solutions: Transport Phenomena in the Co₃O₄ /CoGa₂O₄ System Chemical transport reactions are a suitable pathway to the preparation of mixed spinels Co(Ga, Co)₂O₄ in the Co₃O₄/CoGa₂O₄ system. Solid solutions with specific Co^III/Ga^III ratios are accessible via variation of the source material compositions, because Co₃O₄ and CoGa₂O₄ are completely miscible. Electron microprobe analyses indicate the beginning of a zoning process in the crystals deposited. Experiments are consistent with thermodynamic calculations.     

Chrysanthemum-like Co3O4 architectures: Hydrothermal synthesis and lithium storage performances

Three-dimensional chrysanthemum-like Co₃O₄ was prepared via a facile hydrothermal route without any template, and a subsequent calcination process. With a controlled concentration of the homogeneous precipitation agent, urea, a chrysanthemum-like precursor was hydrothermally obtained at 120 °C for 20 h, and the morphology was kept for Co₃O₄ after a subsequent calcination at 300 °C for 2 h. Co₃O₄ chrysanthemum-like architectures are assemblies of nanorods radiating from a common centre, and the nanorods consisted of interconnected nanoparticles with the size of about 30 nm. When tested as an anode material of Li-ion batteries, chrysanthemum-like Co₃O₄ presented a discharge capacity of ∼450 mA h/g after 50 discharge/charge cycles.