Facile synthesis of Fe sub(3)S sub(4) hollow spheres with high-performance for lithium-ion batteries and water treatment

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Vol. 2; no. 46; pp. 19882 - 19888
• Main Authors: Zheng, Jun, Cao, Yong, Cheng, Chao, Chen, Cheng, Yan, Rui-Wen, Huai, Hai-Xia, Dong, Quan-Feng, Zheng, Ming-Sen, Wang, Chun-Chang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.11.2014
• Subjects: Adsorption; Chalcogenides; Lithium-ion batteries; Mathematical analysis; Nanostructure; Strategy; Synthesis; Water treatment
• ISSN: 2050-7488; 2050-7496
• DOI: 10.1039/c4ta05148c

Hollow metal chalcogenides have attracted increasing attention in recent years owing to their widespread applications. However, to the best of our knowledge, the effective synthesis of a uniform Fe sub(3)S sub(4) hollow nanostructure for fundamental research and practical application has not been reported to date. In this paper, a facile method for preparing nanostructured Fe sub(3)S sub(4) with controlled hollow spheres was developed. The as-prepared Fe sub(3)S sub(4) shows ferromagnetic characteristic and porous nature. Their Li ion storage and water treatment performances are further tested. Such mesoporous hollow spheres exhibit a highly reversible capacity of 750 mA h g super(-1) over 100 cycles at a current density of 0.2 A g super(-1). In addition, when used as an adsorbent, the Fe sub(3)S sub(4) exhibited high adsorption capability and the adsorption isotherms are subject to the Freundlich equation. This work not only presents a facile strategy for the synthesis of novel Fe sub(3)S sub(4) hollow spheres but also supplies a promising advanced material for lithium-ion batteries and water treatment.