Direct Fabrication of Cobalt Oxide Nano-particles Employing Glycine as a Combustion Fuel

Abstract

Combustion method has been used as a fast and facile method to prepare nanocrystalline Co<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB> spinel employing glycine as a combustion fuel. The products were characterized by thermal analyses (TGA & DTA), X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. Experimental results revealed that the molar ratio of fuel/oxidant play an important role in controlling the crystallite size of Co<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB> nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that the crystallite size of Co<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB> nanocrystals were in the range of 14–31 nm. Since the particle size of the powdered samples were found to be equivalent from both TEM and X-ray diffraction technique. X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of CoO phase with spinel Co<SUB>3</SUB>O<SUB>4</SUB>. The effect of calcination temperature on crystallite size and morphology has been discussed.