Cobalt(II) Alginate as a Precursor for Green Synthesis of Cobalt Oxide Nanoparticles

There is an increasing scientific interest in environmentally friendly methods in nanoparticle synthesis. In this study, cobalt oxide nanoparticles were prepared by thermal decomposition of cobalt crosslinked alginate gel, where alginate acts as a precursor. The resulting material was characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The size of nanocrystals was 32 nm as calculated by the Scherrer equation and the size of nanocrystals varied between 1 and 60 nm according to grain size distribution (GSD). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to observe nanocrystals. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was studied to elucidate the formation of cobalt oxides from cobalt crosslinked alginate beads. An easy and cost-effective method was reported for the synthesis of Co3O4 nanoparticles.