Facile, one-pot solvothermal method to synthesize ultrathin Sb2S3 nanosheets anchored on graphene

Abstract

Ultrathin, two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets of layered transition-metal chalcogenides are theoretically and technologically intriguing. However, it still remains a great challenge to synthesize ultrathin nanosheets because of the lack of an intrinsic driving force for the anisotropic growth of 2D superposed microstructures. Here we demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, the in situ synthesis of large-scale ultrathin Sb₂S₃ nanosheets on graphene sheets (G) by solvothermal method in a water–ethylene glycol mixed solvent. Owing to the synergetic chemical coupling effects between G and Sb₂S₃, Sb₂S₃–G hybrid nanosheets exhibit high catalytic performance for the degradation of methylene blue in the presence of H₂O₂. Moreover, it was found that the resulting Sb₂S₃–G shows good electrocatalytic activity towards hydrazine oxidation. This work not only offers a low-cost and high performance alternative technology for synthesizing sheet-like Sb₂S₃, but also opens the door toward the fabrication of varying types of metal sulfide–graphene nanomaterials that will have wide applications in catalysis, environmental, and new energy fields.