Insightful study of the characterization of the Cobalt oxide nanomaterials and hydrothermal synthesis

In this paper, nanoparticles of cobalt oxide (Co3O4) are prepared at different temperatures 120°C, 140°C and 160°C using the hydrothermal method. Cobalt nitrate hexahydrate: Co (NO3)2 · 6H2O is used as precursor and potassium hydroxide (KOH) is used as precipitating agent. Particle size is controlled using precursor concentration. It is also investigated in this research that particle size increases at high-temperature. Nanoparticles of size between (13.62-17.81 nm) are obtained using this technique (Hydrothermal method). SEM results provide nonuniform distribution of nanoparticles with sharp grain boundaries. Electrical characterization confirms the semiconducting behavior of the material as resistivity decreases with increase in temperature. Electrochemical measurements show detection of hydrogen peroxide H2O2 by nanoparticles of Co3O4.