Cobalt

Introduction

Cobalt nanoparticles are interesting from a magnetic and chemical point of view. The diameter where the cobalt nanoparticles start to undergo spontaneous thermal fluctuations at room temperature is around 4 nm and the single domain threshold lies at 56 nm.

As a catalyst, it can dehydrogenate ammonia borane, which is a carrier for hydrogen gas. The reference article shows that nanoparticles with sizes below 10 nm can effectively be used at room temperature under ambient atmosphere. The metal-insulator transition is around 60 atoms, corresponding to a diameter of 1 nm.

 

Basic data

NameCobalt (Co)
Configuration4s2 3d7
Electrons27
Group9
AbundanceNegligible
Magnetic typeferromagnetic
Melting point1495 ℃
Boiling point2913 ℃

Key trends at the nanoscale

Applications

The pie chart presented here is based on the distribution of research literature across various fields of application research over the period 1992 to 2017. The value listed is the number of papers discussing Cobalt related to nanoparticles, sorted by application field. This gives an indication which applications are being or have been researched and where the core interest is. However, the distribution does not correct for the total publications in a given application field. So, a high score for a given application field indicates there is considerable interest in the element in that field, but it may also mean the field itself has considerable more publications than other fields. Therefore, the pie chart gives a general overview only. The application fields themselves are discussed in more detail on our Nanoparticles page.

Additionally, the total number of publications provides some insight in the amount of research into Cobalt used in nanoparticles in general. Typically, a well-researched element will show 1000 or more publications over the 1992-2017 period.

Alloys and composites

The graph below presents an analysis of literature on core-shell, alloy and composite particles with cobalt as a component of such nanoparticles. It shows possible combinations for alloy or composite nanoparticles and reflects research interest during the 1992-2017 period.