Preparation of Bi2S3 nanorods via a hydrothennal approach

Large-scale bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3) nanorods with uniform size have been prepared by hydrothermal method using bismuth chloride (BiCl3) and sodium sulfide (Na2S center dot 9H(2)O) as raw materials at 180 degrees C and pH = 1-2 for 12 h. The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern shows the Bi2S3 crystal belongs to the orthorhombic phase with calculated lattice constants a = 1.1187 nm, b = 1.1075 nm and c = 0.3976 nm. Furthermore, the quantification of X-ray photoclectron spectra (XPS) analysis peaks gives an atomic ratio of 1.93.0 for Bi:S. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) studies reveal that the appearance of the as-prepared Bi2O3 is rod-like with typical lengths in the range of 2-5 mu m and diameters in the range of 10-30 nm. Finally the influences of the reaction conditions are discussed and a possible mechanism for the formation of Bi2S3 nanorods is proposed. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.