EMULSION-ASSISTED SYNTHESIS OF NICKEL SULFIDE HIERARCHICAL ARCHITECTURES

We herein demonstrated the preparation of nickel sulfide hierarchical architectures via an emulsion-assisted route in hydrothermal system. Scanning electron microscope images of the products at different reaction stages indicated that the construction of the nanostructured hierarchical nickel sulfide was accomplished through oriented attachment accompanied by an encapsulation procedure, and the as-obtained products exhibited uniform architectures assembled by various primary units (e.g. nanorods, nanosheets). In addition, the effect of different surfactants on the shape of nickel sulfide nanostructures was further studied. The results indicated that the hierarchical architectures can only be achieved with the assistance of anionic surfactant (e.g. sodium dodecyl sulfate). These as-prepared novel hierarchical nanostructures may be used in various areas, including industrial catalysis, and energy storage etc.