Tailoring the exposed crystal facet of a material is a very important strategy for improving the application performance. Herein, cubic phase Co3O4 with two different morphologies, nanoplates and nanologs, was synthesized, and CO oxidation, preferential oxidation of CO (CO-PROX) under H-2-rich condition, water gas shift (WGS) reaction, and supercapacitor properties were examined. The nanoplates with {112} exposed facets showed better performance in all the test model systems. The {112} facets contained more active Co3+, which is responsible for the activation of CO oxidation (and H-2 production) at a lower temperatures. A facial ion transport on the facet increased the specific capacitance of the plates. The wider application tests and the design of Co oxide nanostructures provide a better strategy for the development of Co-based materials. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.