Structural, optical and Raman studies of Co3O4 nano-particles

In the early studies it was revealed that Cobalt can indicate irregular oxidation forms (Co2+, Co3+, and Co4+), making it appealing in several endeavours. On account of this multifold condition, cobalt has the capacity to be attended in distinct twist forms in its oxide structures, i.e., inferior, moderate, and superior. In the current work, Co3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by using simple sol gel method. Nanoparticles of Co3O4 with cubic phase and normal spinel structure were carried out under the thermal treatment at 600C for 2 h in furnace. The structure and morphology of as prepared sample were characterized by Raman, XRD, UV–visible spectrophotometer. XRD shows the highly pure crystallized cubic phases. The peaks in XRD show that the crystalline sizes are of the order of 61 nm, 42 nm, 58 nm, 41 nm, 47 nm, 36 nm. The average crystallite size is 47 nm. The measured direct and indirect band gap was found as 3.25 eV and 3.14 eV, respectively. The vibrational studies of Co3O4 were carried out by Raman spectroscopic technique. The active modes in Raman for Co3O4 are found at 573 and 692 cm−1.