Co(OH)3 nanobelts: synthesis, characterization and shape-preserved transformation to pseudo-single-crystalline Co3O4 nanobelts.

In this paper, we demonstrated a facile hydrothermal route leading to the generation of a new cobalt hydroxide, Co(OH)3, nanobelt. This new product of Co(OH)3 nanobelts was well characterized and identified by SEM, TEM, XRD, EDX, XPS, EXAFS, Raman, TGA and SQUID. Additionally, through systematic investigations on morphological evolution, it was found that the size and shape of Co(OH)3 nanobelts were adjustable in large scale, e.g. from 50 to 1.5  µm in length and 5 µm to 20 nm in width, by means of fine experimental parameter control. Furthermore, the unique pseudo-single-crystalline Co3O4 nanobelts were produced from Co(OH)3 precursors via heating treatment. This is the first synthesis of Co(OH)3 with tunable shapes and sizes, which may find important applications as gas sensors, catalysts, and electrode materials, owing to the specific large surface-to-volume ratio and other unique properties endowed by typical 1D nanobelts.