CoCO3 particles with diverse morphologies were successfully synthesized through a solvothermal method using cobalt salt and urea as the reactants with the assistance of sodium dodecylsulphonate. Co3O4 particles which kept the spherical morphology were obtained by a subsequent calcinating process at a series of temperatures from 350 to 550 degrees C. It is found that the average diameter of Co3O4 spheres decreases with the increase of calcination temperature. Additionally, the influence of solvent and sodium dodecylsulphonate on the product morphology has been employed, and a possible formation mechanism is also proposed. Thermogravimetric analysis reveals that Co3O4 microspheres show a potential application as catalyst in the thermal degradation of ammonium perchlorate. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.