Co3O4–ZnO hierarchical nanostructures by electrospinning and hydrothermal methods

A new hierarchical nanostructure that consists of cobalt oxide (Co3O4) and zinc oxide (ZnO) was produced by the electrospinning process followed by a hydrothermal technique. First, electrospinning of a colloidal solution that consisted of zinc nanoparticles, cobalt acetate tetrahydrate and poly(vinyl alcohol) was performed to produce polymeric nanofibers embedding solid nanoparticles. Calcination of the obtained electrospun nanofiber mats in air at 600 °C for 1 h, produced Co3O4 nanofibers with rough surfaces containing ZnO nanoparticles (i.e., ZnO-doped Co3O4 nanofibers). The rough surfaced nanofibers, containing ZnO nanoparticles (ZnNPs), were then exploited as seeds to produce ZnO nanobranches using a specific hydrothermal technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to characterize the as-spun nanofibers and the calcined product. X-ray powder diffractometery (XRD) analysis was used to study the chemical composition and the crystallographic structure.