Cobalt(II) oxide (CoO) is a transition metal oxide known for its rich electronic, magnetic, and catalytic properties. As a key material in ceramics, catalysts, and electronic devices, CoO’s mixed ionic-electronic conductivity and thermal stability make it vital in emerging technologies such as thermoelectric generators and battery electrodes.
Material Overview
CoO is an inorganic compound with a rock-salt (NaCl-type) crystal structure, where cobalt ions occupy octahedral sites within an oxygen lattice. It typically appears as an olive-green or gray powder and crystallizes in the Fm3m space group. The material exhibits semiconducting behavior with an indirect bandgap of approximately 2.4 eV, and its electrical and thermal properties are strongly dependent on stoichiometry and defect concentration. Studies indicate that the dominant charge carriers are small polarons formed due to localized hole hopping between Co2+ and Co3+ sites (Logothetis & Park, 1986). Thin-film variants show activation energies for conduction ranging from 0.46 eV to 0.56 eV depending on oxygen partial pressure and film thickness (Kowalski et al., 2001).
Applications and Advantages
Due to its stable cubic structure and tunable electronic properties, CoO is used in lithium-ion battery cathodes, gas sensors, solar cells, and catalysts for CO oxidation and water splitting. Its ability to transition between multiple oxidation states (Co2+/Co3+) enhances its performance in redox applications. CoO-based composites and doped variants (such as Mg- or Li/Na-doped systems) demonstrate promising thermoelectric behavior, with Seebeck coefficients reaching hundreds of microvolts per kelvin at elevated temperatures (Ren et al., 2005; Dudnikov et al., 2020). Moreover, the surface structure of CoO significantly influences its thermal and chemical stability, making it a versatile candidate for hybrid interfaces and nanostructured catalysts (Xu et al., 2016).
Goodfellow Availability
Goodfellow supplies high-quality cobalt(II) oxide suitable for advanced research and industrial applications. Available in various purities and custom dimensions, CoO from Goodfellow supports reliable performance in electrochemical, thermal, and structural studies.
Explore Cobalt (II) Oxide CoO and other advanced materials in Goodfellow’s online catalogue: Goodfellow product finder.
References
- Logothetis, E. M., & Park, J. K. (1986). High temperature electrical properties and defect structure of Co1−xMgxO. Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, 47(1), 11–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-3697(86)90130-7
- Kowalski, K., Ijjaali, M., Bak, T., Dupré, B., Gleitzer, C., Nowotny, J., Rekas, M., & Sorrell, C. C. (2001). Semiconducting properties of CoO thin films. Ionics, 7(4), 275–284. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02373575
- Ren, Z., Shen, J., Jiang, S., Chen, X., Feng, C., Xu, Z.-A., & Cao, G. (2005). Enhanced thermopower in an intergrowth cobalt oxide Li0.48Na0.35CoO2. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 18(29), L301–L307. https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-8984/18/29/L01
- Dudnikov, V. A., Fedorov, A. S., Orlov, Y. S., Solovyov, L. A., Vereshchagin, S. N., Gavrilkin, S. Y., & Ovchinnikov, S. (2020). Thermoelectric properties of SmCoO3 and NdCoO3 cobalt oxides. Ceramics International, 46(10), 16358–16365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2020.04.113
- Xu, T., Schwarz, M., Werner, K., Mohr, S., Amende, M., & Libuda, J. (2016). The surface structure matters: thermal stability of phthalic acid anchored to atomically-defined cobalt oxide films. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 18(15), 10266–10277. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6CP00296J