In situ template route for synthesis of porous Ni12P5 superstructures and their applications in environmental treatments

In this paper we report an in situ template route for the synthesis of porous Ni12P5 superstructures through an improved hydrothermal synthesis strategy in the presence of a high concentration of Co2+ ions. The phase and morphology of the as-prepared product were characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Research showed that Co2+ ions in the system could significantly tune the shape and size of Ni12P5 and had a profound effect on the yield of Ni12P5. A possible growth mechanism was proposed based on the experimental results. Furthermore, the as-prepared porous Ni12P5 superstructures showed good adsorption capacities for Pb2+ and Cd2+ ions in water, and could strongly degrade some organic dyes such as pyronine B under irradiation of 254 nm UV light, indicating that the as-prepared product has potential applications in environmental treatments.