Facile Synthesis of Co3O4 Cubic Structures and Evaluation of Their Catalytic Properties

Co3O4 cubic structures have been successfully prepared using the thermal decomposition of precursors approach. The precursor cubic structures were synthesized using a facile chemical precipitation method. X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and UV-vis and infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize the products. The results showed that the reaction time and the nature of the surfactant played important roles in the formation of the products. The measurement of the catalytic activity of the as-prepared Co3O4 particles revealed that they played a photocatalytic role in the degradation of methyl violet.