Facile synthesis and characterization of Co nanoplatelets with tunable dimensions via solution reduction process

Plate-like Co nanoparticles with different sizes were synthesized by solution reduction process. The size of Co nanoplatelets can be tuned by varying the concentration of CoCl₂·6H₂O and the dosage of N₂H₄·2H₂O. The Co nanoplatelets with the different size all exist in both fcc and hcp crystal structures. The normal direction of the nanoplatelets is perpendicular to the (002) planes of hcp phase or to the (111) planes of fcc phase. The saturation magnetizations of the samples are lower than the corresponding bulk value. The coercivities of the samples vary with the phase content and the particle size. The shape control mechanism was discussed.