Experimental and Theoretical Investigations on the Magnetic-Field-Induced Variation of Surface Energy of Co3O4 Crystal Faces

Morphological control by magnetic fields: The application of magnetic fields is found to result in fluctuation of the energy of the Co3O4 crystal surface, which hinders the growth of {100} faces, and thus leads to the preferred formation of Co3O4 nanocubes. However, in the absence of external magnetic fields during synthesis, only irregular Co3O4 nanospheres can be obtained (see graphic).