Ionothermal synthesis of bismuth sulfidenanostructures and their electrochemical hydrogenstorage behavior

Abstract

Bismuth sulfide (Bi₂S₃) nanoflowers and nanorods were synthesized by thermal decomposition of single source precursor, bismuth di-n-octyl-dithiophosphate (Bi[S₂P(OC₈H₁₇)₂]₃), in an ionic liquid (IL) solvent. Both of these products belong to the orthorhombic phase by the analysis of the X-ray powder diffraction spectra. The morphology evolution of Bi₂S₃ from nanoflowers to nanorods was investigated based on transmission electron microscopy observations. The electrochemical hydrogen storage behavior of these Bi₂S₃ nanostructures was studied in detail. It was found that the morphology and structure played an important role on the hydrogen storage capacity of such nanomaterials. The Bi₂S₃ nanoflower structures have a discharging capacity of 100 mAh g⁻¹ at room temperature, which makes it a potential candidate for applications in hydrogen storage, high-energy batteries, and catalytic fields.