Solution-phase synthesis and morphology-controlled mechanism of flower-like indium sulfide hierarchitectures

Abstract

Flower-like In2S3 hierarchical nanostructures were successfully prepared via a facile solution-phase route,using In( NO3)3as processor and C2H5 NS as sulfur source. Our experimental results demonstrated that the morphology of the product can be easily modified by tuning the precursor ratio. The molar ratio of In( NO3)3/ C2H5 NS plays a crucial role in the morphology of In2S3 hierarchitectures. With the ratio increasing from 1∶ 1. 5 to 1 ∶ 6,the flower-like In2S3 crystals exhibited various morphologies and different sizes. X-ray diffraction( XRD) patterns of the flowers revealed the cubic structure of In2S3; morphological studies examined by scanning electron microscope( SEM) and transmission electron microscope( TEM) showed that the synthesized In2S3 nanostructure was flower-like hierarchitecture assembled by nanoflakes. Density functional theory( DFT) calculation results indicate that the adsorption of C2H5 NS can affectively and selectively reduce the surface energy of In2S3 facet,stabilize the corresponding crystal facet. The results indicate that there is a synergistic effect between C2H5 NS protecting the crystal facet and the nucleation rate for C2H5 NS to tune the growth of In2S3 nanoplates. Therefore,the morphology of flower-like In2S3 crystals can be controlled by adjusting the C2H5 NS concentration in the mixed solvent.