Shape evolution and electrochemical properties of cobalt sulfide via a biomolecule-assisted solvothermal route

A facile biomolecule-assisted synthetic strategy has been developed to prepare cobalt sulfide hollow spheres. The shape evolution and morphologies of the as-prepared products were investigated in details by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The shapes, morphologies and sizes of the final products were strongly depended on the reaction time and surfactants. The effects of microstructures and morphologies of products on their electrochemical properties have been investigated. The formation mechanism of cobalt sulfides microcrystals was proposed based on the experimental results. The current synthetic strategy may not only provide a simple route to synthesize other transition-metal sulfides hollow spheres but also give fundamental insights into the effect of crystal structure transformation on physical properties.

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► We prepared CoS hollow spheres via a biomolecule-assisted solvothermal route.
► The shapes, morphologies and sizes of final products can be controlled.
► Possible nucleation-growth mechanism is proposed. Crystal structure and morphology of products affect the electrochemical properties.