Synthesis and Formation Mechanism of Co3O4 Nanorods by a Solvothermal Process

Co3O4 nanorods have been synthesized at 160℃ for 10 h in the solution of oleic and n-cetane by an emulsion-solvothermal method using Co（NO3）2·6H2O as starting materials. The as-prepared product was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction（XRD），transmission electron microscope（TEM），and vibrating sample magnetometer（VSM）. The formation mechanism of the prepared product was analyzed based on formation of rod-like micelles of oleic acid. Cobalt ions can migrate into the micelle core for the nucleation and growth of Co3O4 . The results show that the as-prepared Co3O4 nanorods are with the average size 25×100 nm and in the cubic phase. The magnetic susceptibility meets about linearly with the applied magnetic field at room temperature，and the coercivity （Hc）and remanent magnetization（Ms）values of the product at room temperature are 353 Oe and 0.4 emu/g，respectively. This simple route is also expanded to synthesize other materials with the rod-like morphology.