Preparation and characterization of hollow Co3O4 spheres

Co3O4 hollow spheres were successfully prepared using hydrothermal synthesis in conjunction with the templating approach at 180 degrees C, with the addition of glucose and CoSO4 center dot 7H(2)O in sequence, followed by heating to 550 degrees C in air. The synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM results indicated that these Co3O4 hollow spheres had average diameters of ca. 1000 nm, and the wall thickness around the shell was approximately 200 nm. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of these spheres was about 49.1 m(2)/g. The possible formation mechanism of Co3O4 hollow spheres has also been proposed. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.