Controlled soft-template synthesis of ultrathin C@FeS nanosheets with high-Li-storage performance

• Main Authors: Xu, Chen, Zeng, Yi, Rui, Xianhong, Xiao, Ni, Zhu, Jixin, Zhang, Wenyu, Chen, Jing, Liu, Weiling, Tan, Huiteng, Hng, Huey Hoon, Yan, Qingyu
• Other Authors: School of Materials Science & Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/96644; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/10321
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

We report a facile approach to prepare carbon-coated troilite FeS (C@FeS) nanosheets via surfactant-assisted solution-based synthesis. 1-Dodecanethiol is used as both the sulfur source and the surfactant, which may form different-shaped micelles to direct the growth of nanostructures. Under appropriate growth conditions, the iron and sulfur atoms react to form thin layers of FeS while the hydrocarbon tails of 1-dodecanethiol separate the thin FeS layers, which turn to carbon after annealing in Ar. Such an approach can be extended to grow C@FeS nanospheres and nanoplates by modifying the synthesis parameters. The C@FeS nanosheets display excellent Li storage properties with high specific capacities and stable charge/discharge cyclability, especially at fast charge/discharge rates.