High chemiluminescence performance of a macroscale Co3O4 assemblies-based sensor as a fast selection mode for catalysts

Novel porous Co3O4 cubes are prepared by a simple hydrothermal method and a Co3O4-based chemiluminescence (CL) sensor is fabricated. The samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (ED), N2 adsorption, CO- and O2-temperature programmed desorption (CO- and O2-TPD), etc. The CL properties of the sensors are measured, and the catalytic oxidation properties of the samples are also investigated. The results show that the Co3O4 cubes are assembled from subunits of nanoparticles, which results in porous structure. Compared with the bulk Co3O4-based sensor, the porous Co3O4 one has a higher CL intensity and a higher catalytic oxidation activity, which has been ascribed to the porous structure and the high surface area. Most importantly, the Co3O4 assemblies-based sensor can be used as an effective method for judging catalyst activity or selecting excellent catalysts