We report the synthesis and characterization of a family of cobalt(II) metal precursors, based around cyclopentadienyl and diazabutadiene ligands. The molecular structure of the complexes cyclopentadienyl-Cobalt(III)(N,N'-dicyclohexyl-diazabutadiene) (2c) and cyclopentadienyl-Cobalt(III)(N,N'-dimesityl-diazabutadiene) (2d) are described, as determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis of the complexes highlighted the isopropyl derivative CpCo(Pr-i(2)-dab) (2a) as a possible cobalt metal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) precursor. Atmospheric pressure CVD (AP-CVD) was employed using precursor 2a to synthesize thin films of metallic cobalt on silicon substrates under an atmosphere of hydrogen (H-2). Analysis of the thin films deposited at substrate temperatures of 250 degrees C, 275 degrees C, 300 degrees C, 325 degrees C, and 350 degrees C, respectively, by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) reveal temperature dependent growth features: films grown at 325 and 350 degrees C are continuous and pinhole free, whereas those films grown at substrate temperatures of 250 degrees C, 275 degrees C, and 300 degrees C consist of crystalline nanoparticles. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) all show the films to be high purity metallic cobalt. Raman spectroscopy has also been used to prove the absence of cobalt silicides at the substrate/thin film interface.