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Nano-scaled top-down of bismuth chalcogenides based on electrochemical lithium intercalation

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Abstract

A two-step method has been used to fabricate nano-particles of layer-structured bismuth chalcogenide compounds, including Bi2Te3, Bi2Se3, and Bi2Se0.3Te2.7, through a nano-scaled top-down route. In the first step, lithium (Li) atoms are intercalated between the van der Waals bonded quintuple layers of bismuth chalcogenide compounds by controllable electrochemical process inside self-designed lithium ion batteries. And in the second step, the Li intercalated bismuth chalcogenides are subsequently exposed to ethanol, in which process the intercalated Li atoms would explode like atom-scaled bombs to exfoliate original microscaled powder into nano-scaled particles with size around 10 nm. The influence of lithium intercalation speed and amount to three types of bismuth chalcogenide compounds are compared and the optimized intercalation conditions are explored. As to maintain the phase purity of the final nano-particle product, the intercalation lithium amount should be well controlled in Se contained bismuth chalcogenide compounds. Besides, compared with binary bismuth chalcogenide compound, lower lithium intercalation speed should be applied in ternary bismuth chalcogenide compound.

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Acknowledgment

Financial supports from Program of Shanghai Subject Chief Scientist (No. 09XD1404400), and National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (No.2007CB607500) are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Science, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai, 200050, People’s Republic of China

    Jikun Chen, Yingjie Zhu, Xinling Liu, Zhengliang Sun, Qiuming Gao & Lidong Chen

  2. School of Renewable Energy, North China Electric Power University, Beinonglu 2, Huilongguan, Beijing, 102206, China

    Nuofu Chen

  3. Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Zhenghong Huang & Feiyu Kang

  4. Division of Functional Materials and Nano Devices, Ningbo Institute of Material Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, China

    Jun Jiang

  5. Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Science, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, People’s Republic of China

    Jikun Chen, Xinling Liu & Zhengliang Sun

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  1. Jikun Chen
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  2. Yingjie Zhu
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  3. Nuofu Chen
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  4. Xinling Liu
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  5. Zhengliang Sun
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  6. Zhenghong Huang
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  7. Feiyu Kang
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  8. Qiuming Gao
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  9. Jun Jiang
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  10. Lidong Chen
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Correspondence to Lidong Chen.

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Chen, J., Zhu, Y., Chen, N. et al. Nano-scaled top-down of bismuth chalcogenides based on electrochemical lithium intercalation. J Nanopart Res 13, 6569–6578 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-011-0563-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-011-0563-0

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