Synthesis of hierarchical Bi2S3 nanoflowers via a topotactic transformation from hierarchical Bi2WO6 nanoflowers and their supercapacitor performance

Abstract

Hierarchical Bi₂S₃ nanoflowers consisting of one-dimensional nanorods have been successfully synthesized via a topotactic transformation process. In this fabrication route, hierarchical Bi₂WO₆ nanoflowers composed of two-dimensional nanosheets were used as the precursor template. Investigated by a time-dependent experiment, the possible formation mechanism of hierarchical Bi₂S₃ nanoflowers has been proposed. Furthermore, the key role played by thioacetamide (TAA) in the formation of hierarchical structures has also been investigated by controlling its content. In addition, the as-fabricated hierarchical Bi₂S₃ nanoflowers exhibited high specific capacitance and electrochemical stability, and the intriguing capacitive behavior might be ascribed to their special three-dimensional hierarchical structure.