Facile synthesis and characterization of Co₃O₄ nanoplates coated with small nanorods

Co₃O₄ nanoplates coated with small nanorods have been synthesized with the assistance of microwave technique from Co metal source followed with calcination at 650 °C. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope have been used to investigate the samples' structure. The average crystallite size of Co₃O₄ is 52.6 nm. SEM of Co₃O₄ shows the nanoplate structure coated with highly dense nanorods. The diffused reflectance has been analyzed by the Kubelka-Munk model. Co₃O₄ has three energy gaps (1.2, 1.5 and 2.3 eV). Frequency dependence of the AC conductivity shows the semiconducting behavior which is illustrated as correlated barrier hopping between alternation pairs with intimate valence. This study shows that the microwave assisted technique is a facile and promising tool to produce high-quality nanostructured Co₃O₄ to be used in different applications.