Formation of 1D Hierarchical Structures Composed of Ni₃S₂ Nanosheets on CNTs Backbone for Supercapacitors and Photocatalytic H₂ Production

Abstract

Abstract One‐dimensional (1D) hierarchical structures composed of Ni 3 S 2 nanosheets grown on carbon nanotube (CNT) backbone (denoted as CNT@Ni 3 S 2 ) are fabricated by a rational multi‐step transformation route. The first step involves coating the CNT backbone with a layer of silica to form CNT@SiO 2 , which serves as the substrate for the growth of nickel silicate (NiSilicate) nanosheets in the second step to form CNT@SiO 2 @NiSilicate core‐double shell 1D structures. Finally the as‐formed CNT@SiO 2 @NiSilicate 1D structures are converted into CNT‐supported Ni 3 S 2 nanosheets via hydrothermal treatment in the presence of Na 2 S. Simultaneously the intermediate silica layer is eliminated during the hydrothermal treatment, leading to the formation of CNT@Ni 3 S 2 nanostructures. Because of the unique hybrid nano‐architecture, the as‐prepared 1D hierarchical structure is shown to exhibit excellent performance in both supercapacitors and photocatalytic H 2 production.