Synthesis of Co3O4 nanoclusters via an EDTANa4-assisted route for enhanced electrochemical application

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) Co3O4 nanoclusters were fabricated with the assistance of tetrasodium ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTANa4) through a one-pot wet-chemical reaction, featuring self-limiting assembly of building blocks and controlled regrowth process. The molar ratio of Co2+ and EDTANa4 plays a key role in building initial clusters as blocks, and the amount of NaOH effects the regrowth process. A possible formation mechanism for the Co3O4 nanoclusters was proposed based on the characterization results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The designed hierarchical Co3O4 nanoclusters exhibit a high specific capacitance of 221Fg−1 at a current density of 2Ag−1 in 2molL−1 KOH electrolyte.