Porous Co3O4 microcubes: hydrothermal synthesis, catalytic and magnetic properties

Abstract

Well-defined porous Co₃O₄ microcubes have been synthesized by a simple one-pot solvothermal method combined with subsequent calcination. The formation mechanism of the cube-like precursor was proposed based on the anisotropic intrinsic structure of CoCO₃. Importantly, after thermal treatment, the cube-like morphology could be completely preserved. Moreover, the thermal decomposition of the corresponding precursor led to the formation of porous structure. The effects of calcination temperature on the catalytic properties of Co₃O₄ samples were investigated and the results demonstrated that 600 °C was superior among three samples with the highest catalytic properties. Additionally, as an antiferromagnetic material, the sample showed a certain degree of ferromagnetism under the external magnetic field.