Plasma assisted vapor solid deposition of Co3O4 tapered nanorods for energy applications

Self-standing, 1-dimensional (1D) structures of p-Type metal oxide (MOx) have been the focus of considerable attention, due to their unique properties in energy storage and solar light conversion. However, the practical performance of p-Type MOx is intrinsically limited by their interfacial defects and strong charge recombination losses. Single crystalline assembly can significantly reduce recombination at interface and grain boundaries. Here, we present a one-step route based on plasma assisted physical vapor deposition (PVD), for the rational and scalable synthesis of single crystalline 1D vertically aligned Co3O4 tapered nanorods (NRs). The effect of PVD parameters (deposition pressure, temperature and duration) in tuning the morphology, composition and crystalline structure of resultant NRs is investigated. Crystallographic data obtained from X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated the single crystalline nature of NRs with [111] facet preferred orientation. The NRs present two optical band gaps at about 1.48 eV and 2.1 eV. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristic of the Co3O4 NRs electrodes, 400 nm long, present two times higher current density at-1 V forward bias, compared to the benchmarking thin film counterpart. These array structures exhibit good electrochemical performance in lithium-ion adsorption-desorption processes. Among all, the longest Co3O4 NRs electrodes delivers a 1438.4 F g-1 at current density of 0.5 mA cm-2 and presents 98% capacitance retention after 200 charge-discharge cycles. The very low values of charge transfer resistance (Rct = 5.2 Ω for 400 nm long NRs) of the NRs testifies their high conductivity. Plasma assisted PVD is demonstrated as a facile technique for synthesizing high quality 1D structures of Co3O4, which can be of interest for further development of different desirable 1D systems based on transition MOx.