Synthesis of Co3O4 nanoclusters via an EDTANa4-assisted route for enhanced electrochemical application.

Three-dimensional (3D) Co 3 O 4 nanoclusters were fabricated with the assistance of tetrasodium ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTANa 4 ) through a one-pot wet-chemical reaction, featuring self-limiting assembly of building blocks and controlled regrowth process. The molar ratio of Co 2+ and EDTANa 4 plays a key role in building initial clusters as blocks, and the amount of NaOH effects the regrowth process. A possible formation mechanism for the Co 3 O 4 nanoclusters was proposed based on the characterization results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The designed hierarchical Co 3 O 4 nanoclusters exhibit a high specific capacitance of 221 F g −1 at a current density of 2 A g −1 in 2 mol L −1 KOH electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]