Molten salt synthesis of single-crystal Co3O4 nanorods

The synthesis of the single-crystal Co3O4 nanorods by molten salt approach was reported for the first time. The products were characterized by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Selected-area electron diffraction (SAED). TEM results indicate that these nanorods have diameters of about 150 nm and lengths of about 2 mu m. According to the analysis of the SAED and HRTEM results, we drew the conclusion that these nanorods grew along an unusual [-1,-1,15] direction by Ostwald ripening mechanism. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.