From cobalt nitrate carbonate hydroxide hydrate nanowires to porous Co(3)O(4) nanorods for high performance lithium-ion battery electrodes.

We have developed a simple approach for the large-scale synthesis of cobalt nitrate carbonate hydroxide hydrate (Co(CO(3))(0.35)(NO(3))(0.2)(OH)(1.1)·1.74H(2)O) nanowires via the hydrothermal process using sodium hydroxide and formaldehyde as mineralizers at 120 °C. The porous Co(3)O(4) nanorods 10-30 nm in diameter and hundreds of nanometres in length have been fabricated from the above-mentioned multicomponent nanowires by calcination at 400 °C. The morphology and structure of cobalt nitrate carbonate hydroxide hydrate nanowires and Co(3)O(4) nanorods have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and x-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Moreover, the porous Co(3)O(4) nanorods have been applied in the negative electrode materials for lithium ion batteries, which exhibit high electrochemical performance.