The core-shell structured Co3O4-PANI nanocomposites have been successfully prepared using an in situ polymerization method, while the core Co3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by carbon-assisted method using degreasing cotton as a template. The obtained samples were characterized by XRD, TEM, FTIR, and XPS. The results indicated that the amorphous PANI was well covered on the surface of the spinel Co3O4 and the Co3O4-PANI with core-shell structure was formed with particle size of about 100 nm. The interfacial interaction of the core-shell nanocomposite greatly enhances the microwave absorption properties. The maximum reflection loss of Co3O4-PANI is up to −45.8 dB at 11.7 GHz with a thickness of 2.5 mm and the adsorption bandwidth with the reflection loss below −10 dB reaches 14.1 GHz ranging from 3.9 to 18 GHz when the thickness is between 2 and 5.5 mm. Therefore, the facilely synthesized and low-cost Co3O4-PANI nanocomposite with superior microwave absorption properties can be a promising nanomaterial for high efficient microwave absorption.

Pure Co3O4 microcrystals were prepared by a hydrothermal method from Co(NO3)2·6H2O and urea solution, and the effect of thermal treatment time on the growth of Co3O4 microcrystals was studied by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman and UV‐Vis absorption spectra. The results show that with the thermal treatment time increases from 2 h to 12 h, the shape of as‐prepared Co3O4 microcrystals changes from the hedgehog sphere‐like to the as‐cubic one that were stacked by lots of lamella, and finally cubes, and then longer time treatment will only lead to the size growth and agglomeration of particles. In conclusion, the cubic Co3O4 microcrystals of uniform size (∼6 μm) are synthesized via a 12‐h thermal treatment. Moreover, the synthesis mechanism has been studied.

Carbon-incorporated Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles with an average diameter of 50 nm were prepared via a facile and environmentally friendly one-pot carbon-assisted method using degreasing cotton as a template as well as a reactant. The elemental analysis indicates the incorporation of carbon species into the Co 3 O 4 nanoparticles and the XPS measurements demonstrate the presence of carbon species which comes from the incomplete combustion of the degreasing cotton. Interestingly, the resultant sample was able to split pure water into hydrogen under visible light irradiation without any cocatalyst, which is mainly due to the enhanced light absorption behavior confirmed by the UV-Vis absorption spectra. This facile method provided a potential strategy for applying narrow bandgap semiconductors in pure water splitting.

Co3O4nanoparticles were fabricated by a novel, facile, and environment-friendly carbon-assisted method using degreasing cotton. Structural and morphological characterizations were performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The component of the sample obtained at different temperatures was measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherms were utilized to reveal the specific surface areas. The formation mechanism of Co3O4nanoparticles was also proposed, demonstrating that the additive degreasing cotton played an indispensable role in the process of synthesizing the sample. The resultant Co3O4sample calcined at 600°C exhibited superior electrochemical performance with better specific capacitance and long-term cycling life, due to its high specific surface areas and pores structures. Additionally, it has been proved that this facile synthetic strategy can be extended to produce other metal oxide materials (e.g., Fe3O4). As a consequence, the carbon-assisted method using degreasing cotton accompanied a promising prospect for practical application.

Octahedral Co 3 O 4 (∼1 μm) was synthesised by a one-step carbon-assisted method using degreasing cotton and cobalt chloride as precursors. The characterisation results show that the calcination temperature, calcination time, reaction precursor, oxygen environment and reactants ratio of the precursor play important roles in fabricating the Co 3 O 4 powders. The result of the UV-vis spectrum also shows that the octahedral Co 3 O 4 obtained can be applied in photocatalytic water splitting under visible light irradiation.