Facile synthesis of mesoporous Co3O4 nanoflowers for catalytic combustion of ventilation air methane

Flower-like Co 3 O 4 hierarchical microspheres composed of self-assembled porous nanoplates were prepared by employing Pluronic F127 block-copolymer as template. The samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction(PXRD), scanning/transmission electron microscopy(SEM/TEM), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption at 77 K. The results show that the catalytic activity of Co 3 O 4 nanoflowers for the combustion of ventilation air methane is higher than that of commercial Co 3 O 4 . The superior catalytic performance of this material can be related to its dominantly exposed {112} crystal planes and higher content of surface Co 3+ .