Preparation of nanosized cobalt hydroxides and oxyhydroxide assisted by sonication

An α-cobalt hydroxide with an interlayer spacing of 12.65 Å has been synthesized in sheet shapes with dimensions of 100-120 nm with the aid of sonication. Acetate anions are intercalated into the interlayer region of the as-prepared α-cobalt hydroxide in the form of a free ion state. β-Cobalt hydroxide has also been prepared and formed as crystallized thin hexagonal platelets with a diameter of 100 nm. Pure cobalt oxyhydroxide with a particle size of 10-30 nm has also been obtained. Powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, as well as elemental analysis, have been used in the characterization of the as-prepared samples.