Complex Surfactant-Assisted Hydrothermal Synthesis and Properties of Hierarchical Worm-Like Cobalt Sulfide Microtubes Assembled by Hexagonal Nanoplates

The preparation of exquisite hierarchical worm-like Co1-xS (x = 0.75) microtubes by a one-pot complex surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method is successfully achieved for the first time. The hierarchical structures of the microtube wall are assembled from numerous interleaving hexagonal nanoplates. X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the samples. The experimental results indicate that the "soft template" surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and the chelating ethylenediamine both play important roles for the formation of hierarchical Co1-xS microtubes. A possible formation mechanism for the growth processes is proposed. Additionally, the electrochemical and magnetic properties of Co1-xS microtubes were systematically studied.