Hierarchical Bi2Se3–xSx microarchitectures assembled from ultrathin polycrystalline nanosheets: solvothermal synthesis and good electrochemical performance

Abstract

A simple solvothermal route in a binary solution of ethylene glycol and diethylenetriamine has been applied to synthesize hierarchical flower like Bi₂Se_3−xS_x. Through SEM and TEM observations, the flower like Bi₂Se_3−xS_x is assembled from poly-crystalline nanosheets with average thicknesses of 18 nm. It is found that the volume of thioglycolic acid, the reaction temperature and the volume ratio of ethylene glycol to diethylenetriamine play important roles in the formation of flower like Bi₂Se_3−xS_x. Based on the experimental results, the mechanism for the formation of the flower like Bi₂Se_3−xS_x is discussed. Meanwhile, electrochemical measurements reveal that the as-prepared flower like Bi₂Se_3−xS_x delivers a high discharge capacity and good cycle stability in electrochemical hydrogen storage.