α-Nickel hydroxide 3D hierarchical architectures: Controlled synthesis and their applications on electrochemical determination of H2O2

•3D α-Ni(OH)2 hierarchical microstructures based on nanoslices were synthesized.•The process uses only one kind of reactant of Ni(HCOO)2·2H2O in a microemulsion.•The 3D α-Ni(OH)2 display high sensitivity on electrochemical determination of H2O2.

Highly uniform three-dimensional α-Ni(OH)2 hierarchical architectures based on nanoslices were successfully synthesized on a large scale in a water-in-oil microemulsion of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/water/cyclohexane/glycerol with Ni(HCOO)2·2H2O served as both a nickel source and a weak alkaline source. The phase formation of α-Ni(OH)2 takes advantage of the hydrolyzation of HCOO− in Ni(HCOO)2·2H2O precursor. The size and morphology of α-Ni(OH)2 can be tuned through varying the experimental parameters. As-obtained 3D α-Ni(OH)2 possesses high electrochemical sensitivity to H2O2, and the microstructures had a noticeable influence on their sensitivities, which indicate potential applications in the field of electrochemical sensing devices.

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