Preparation, Morphology Transformation and Magnetic Behavior of Co₃O₄ Nano-Leaves

A series of cubic phase Co₃O₄ nano−leaves were prepared via a combined approach of solution reaction and calcination. According to x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy, we find that the Co₃O₄ grain size increases with calcination temperature. This can induce many gaps in the products. M–T and M–H magnetization measurements reveal the typical antiferromagnetic behavior of nano−leaves. The effective moments of the samples prepared at 300, 400 and 500°C are 5.6, 5.8 and 5.7 μ_B per formula unit (FU), respectively, larger than the bulk value of 4.14 μ_B/FU.