Facile Fabrication of Porous CuS Nanotubes Using Well-Aligned [Cu(tu)]Cl•1/2H2O Nanowire Precursors as Self-Sacrificial Templates

We have demonstrated for the first time an extremely facile procedure for the preparation of porous CuS nanotubes with good morphological and high chemical purity using [Cu(tu)]Cl center dot 1/2H(2)O nanowire precursors as self-sacrificial templates at room temperature (thiourea = tu). Well-organized [Cu(tu)]Cl center dot 1/2H(2)O nanowires with good morphological and high chemical purities were prepared by directly mixing an aqueous solution of CuCl2 with thiourea at room temperature. Well-aligned [Cu(tu)]Cl center dot 1/2H(2)O nanowires were self-assembled into dandelion- or thornlike architectures depending on the initial concentrations of thiourea and CuCl2. The influence of the architectures of the nanowire precursors on the morphology of the CuS nanotubes product is discussed. The successful fabrication of nanoarchitectures from nanowires via self-sacrificial templates provides an efficient strategy for controllable preparation of hollow nanostructures.