Formation of 1D Hierarchical Structures Composed of Ni₃S₂ Nanosheets on CNTs Backbone for Supercapacitors and Photocatalytic H₂ Production

Abstract

One‐dimensional (1D) hierarchical structures composed of Ni3S2 nanosheets grown on carbon nanotube (CNT) backbone (denoted as CNT@Ni3S2) are fabricated by a rational multi‐step transformation route. The first step involves coating the CNT backbone with a layer of silica to form CNT@SiO2, which serves as the substrate for the growth of nickel silicate (NiSilicate) nanosheets in the second step to form CNT@SiO2@NiSilicate core‐double shell 1D structures. Finally the as‐formed CNT@SiO2@NiSilicate 1D structures are converted into CNT‐supported Ni3S2 nanosheets via hydrothermal treatment in the presence of Na2S. Simultaneously the intermediate silica layer is eliminated during the hydrothermal treatment, leading to the formation of CNT@Ni3S2 nanostructures. Because of the unique hybrid nano‐architecture, the as‐prepared 1D hierarchical structure is shown to exhibit excellent performance in both supercapacitors and photocatalytic H2 production.

Polypyrrole/nickel sulfide/bacterial cellulose nanofibrous composite membranes for flexible supercapacitor electrodes

“…Among the metal sulfides, nickel sulfides have drawn tremendous attention with the advantages of good electronic conduction, high redox activity, low cost, and ease of fabrication (Li et al 2014c). The family of nickel sulfides with different phases such as NiS, NiS 2 , and Ni 3 S 2 has been widely investigated as promising electrode material for supercapacitors (Zhu et al 2012;Yang et al 2013;Pang et al 2014;Peng et al 2015). For example, Zhu et al (2012) have fabricated hierarchical structures composed of Ni 3 S 2 nanosheets grown on carbon nanotube (CNT) backbones for supercapacitors.…”

“…The family of nickel sulfides with different phases such as NiS, NiS 2 , and Ni 3 S 2 has been widely investigated as promising electrode material for supercapacitors (Zhu et al 2012;Yang et al 2013;Pang et al 2014;Peng et al 2015). For example, Zhu et al (2012) have fabricated hierarchical structures composed of Ni 3 S 2 nanosheets grown on carbon nanotube (CNT) backbones for supercapacitors. Pang et al (2014) have reported NiS 2 nanocubes synthesized with a microwave-assisted method, which showed large specific capacitance (695 F g -1 at 1.25 A g -1 ) and excellent cycling performance (the retention 93.4 % of initial specific capacitance after 3000 cycles).…”

One-pot synthesis of hierarchically nanostructured Ni3S2 dendrites as active materials for supercapacitors

“…[29] Among numerous pseudocapacitive materials used as electrode for supercapacitors, Ni 3 S 2 , presenting various morphologies and nanostructures, has become the most investigated one recently, because of its low cost, high specific capacitance and easy synthesis. [30][31][32][33][34] [37] as well as the environmentally friendly hydrothermal synthesis of nickel sulfide nanospheres. [38] Therefore, if 3D hierarchical nanosturtures were designed successfully and applied as supercapacitor electrode, it would exhibit a considerable increase of the active material availability for electrochemical performance.…”

Synthesis of Nanosphere -Fe2O3/MWCNT composite as Photo-catalyst for the Degradation of Rhodamine B

“…Recently, CNTs (carbon nanotubes) draw much attention because of its excellent stability, unique electronic and structural properties [9,10]. These advantages make CNTs a promising catalytic assistant material [11,12].…”