In this article, well–dispersed cobalt oxide nanoparticles supported on mesoporous carbon (CMK–3) have been successfully synthesized. The composites were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X–ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis. | Journal of Science and Technology 55 (1B) (2017) 230–237 SYNTHESIS AND ELECTROCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF MESOPOROUS CARBON SUPPORTED WELL–DISPERSED COBALT OXIDES NANOPARTICLES Nguyen Van Tu1, 2, *, Shuang Yang2 1 Institute for Chemistry and Material, 17 Hoang Sam Street, Nghia Do Ward, Cau Giay District, Ha Noi, Viet Nam 2 School of Material Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology 122 Luoshi Road, Wuhan, P. R. China * Email: nguyenvantu882008@ Received: 30 December 2016; Accepted for publication: 6 March 2017 ABSTRACT In this article, well–dispersed cobalt oxide nanoparticles supported on mesoporous carbon (CMK–3) have been successfully synthesized. The composites were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X–ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis. The results have confirmed that, at a cobalt loading of 15 wt%, the composites have not only retained mesoporous structure of the support but also shown a good control of dispersed cobalt oxide nanoparticles with size of ~4 nm. The electrochemical property tests for the synthesized samples have shown significant improvement compared to the blank carbon (CMK–3) without cobalt oxide incorporation. Keywords: CMK–3, cobalt oxide, nanoparticles. 1. INTRODUCTION The recent advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology have provided an impetus for the development of new hybrid porous nanostructures, especially metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) confined in porous carbons. Hybrid porous nanocomposites have received much attention because of their unique properties including well–controlled pore structures, high surface areas, and large and tunable pore sizes [1]. The small metal oxide particles and with their porous structure can significantly enhance the utilization of active materials and shorten the transport/diffusion path of ions and molecular entities. Thus, porous carbon–based nanocomposites have many potential applications .
