Facile synthesis of sulfur doped Sb2Se3 nanosheets with enhanced electrochemical performance

In this work, ultrathin Sb2Se3 nanowires as well as the sulfur doped nanosheets are synthesized by a facile solvothermal method through changing the volume of thioglycollic acid. The growth process of the nanoarchitectures and the effects of reaction parameters are investigated systematically by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Based on the experimental results, the formation mechanism of the Sb2Se3 nanosheets is proposed as a thioglycollic acid directed anisotropic growth process combined with an Ostwald ripening mechanism. Moreover, the electrochemical properties of the products are measured, the sulfur doped Sb2Se3 nanosheets show the superior performance and better stability than those of ultrathin Sb2Se3 nanowires.