Polymer guided synthesis of Ni(OH)2 with hierarchical structure and their application as the precursor for sensing materials

Abstract

Hierarchical Ni(OH)₂ microstructures with sizes of several micrometers have been synthesized through a polymer mediated self-assembly route. The hierarchical Ni(OH)₂ microstructures are built of sheet-like building blocks, which are further composed of “side to side” stacking of tiny sheet-like units. The influence of various experimental parameters on the microstructure was investigated. It is believed that the polymer, poly(sodium-4-styrene sulfonate), selectively bonded on the surface of Ni(OH)₂ clusters mediates the formation of hierarchical Ni(OH)₂ microstructures. In addition, through the chemical conversion of Ni(OH)₂ to NiO, an oxide sensor was fabricated, which exhibits excellent gas sensing performances to ethanol and propanol, suggesting the potential applications. It is also anticipated that these Ni(OH)₂ microstructures will have successful applications in Ni-based batteries, electrodes, and so on.