Cobalt oxide based nanostructures are perspective materials for gas sensors, photocatalysts, and other devices for ecology applications due to the high concentration of chemisorbed oxygen and catalytic activity in oxidation reactions. Finely dispersed nanocrystalline oxides Zn_xCo_3–xO₄ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) with a high level of conductivity have been synthesized by the chemical precipitation of oxalates with subsequent thermal treatment. Comprehensive studies of the morphology, electrophysical properties, nature and concentration of defects in the obtained materials were carried out. It is shown that the introduction of zinc atoms to the Co₃O₄ structure leads to a sharp increase in conductivity by more than 5 orders of magnitude. In addition, the zinc-induced interplay of Co²⁺ spin centers between tetrahedral and octahedral sites was revealed using the EPR method. The correlation between the conductivity and the concentration of Co²⁺ ions in tetrahedral and octahedral environments was established for the first time. The obtained results open up the possibility of fine-tuning the electronic properties of nanostructured Zn_xCo_3–xO₄ by variation of zinc concentration in the samples.

中文翻译：

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纳米晶复合氧化物 ZnxCo3–xO4：钴和锌离子对电导率大幅增长的影响

由于高浓度的化学吸附氧和氧化反应中的催化活性，基于氧化钴的纳米结构是用于气体传感器、光催化剂和其他生态应用装置的前景材料。通过草酸盐的化学沉淀和随后的热处理，已经合成了具有高导电性的精细分散的纳米晶体氧化物 Zn _x Co _{3– x} O ₄ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1)。对所得材料的形貌、电物理性质、性质和缺陷浓度进行了综合研究。结果表明，将锌原子引入 Co ₃ O ₄结构导致电导率急剧增加超过 5 个数量级。此外，使用 EPR 方法揭示了锌诱导的 Co ^{2+自旋中心在四面体和八面体位点之间的相互作用。}首次建立了四面体和八面体环境中电导率与Co ^{2+离子浓度的相关性。}所获得的结果开辟了通过样品中锌浓度的变化微调纳米结构 Zn _x Co _{3– x} O _{4的电子特性的可能性。}