Ni2+ ions assisted hydrothermal synthesis of flowerlike Co-11(HPO3)(8)(OH)(6) superstructures and shape control

In this paper, flowerlike Co-11(HPO3)(8)(OH)(6) superstructures were selectively synthesized via a facile hydrothermal route on a large scale in the presence of a certain amount of Ni2+ ions, employing CoCl2 center dot 6H(2)O and NaH2PO2 center dot H2O as the reactants, NaHCO3 as the pH adjustor. HPO3- ions were provided based on the dismutation of H2PO2- ions in a weak basic solution. The reaction was carried out at 170 degrees C for 10 h. The as-obtained products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), selected area electron diffraction ( SAED) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Research showed that the Ni2+ ions in the system played a crucial role in the formation of flowerlike Co-11(HPO3)(8)(OH)(6) superstructures. Some factors influencing the morphology of Co-11(HPO3)(8)(OH)(6), including the reaction time, temperature, and the kinds of metal ions were investigated. A possible growth mechanism was proposed.