Synthesis of polycrystalline Co 3 O 4 nanowires with excellent ammonium perchlorate catalytic decomposition property

Abstract Co 3 O 4 nanowires, with the length of tens of micrometers and the width of several hundred nanometers, were produced by a hydrothermal treatment and a post-anneal process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) result showed that the Co 3 O 4 nanowires belong to cubic crystal system. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis indicated that the Co 3 O 4 nanowires, composed by single crystalline nanoparticles, were of polycrystalline nature. On the basis of time-dependent experiments, methanamide-assisted hydrolysis and subsequent dissolution–recrystallization process were used to explain the precursors' formation process of the polycrystalline Co 3 O 4 nanowires. The TGA experiments showed that the as-obtained Co 3 O 4 nanowires can catalyze the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) effectively.