Synthesis of one-dimensional porous Co 3 O 4 nanobelts and their ethanol gas sensing properties

Abstract In this paper, one-dimensional porous Co 3 O 4 nanobelts were synthesized via a facile template-free hydrothermal method and subsequent the thermal decomposition. Their microstructures and morphologies were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and N 2 adsorption–desorption techniques. The results indicate that the reaction parameters such as the molar ratio of Co(NO 3 ) 2 ·6H 2 O to C 2 H 4 N 4 , the amount of Co(NO 3 ) 2 ·6H 2 O, the hydrothermal temperature and time play crucial rules in controlling the microstructures and morphologies of the as-prepared cobalt precursors. A possible formation mechanism was proposed. Moreover, the obtained porous Co 3 O 4 nanobelts exhibit ethanol gas sensing properties superior to the commercial Co 3 O 4 powders at a working temperature of 200 °C, suggesting their potential applications as nanosensors.