Synthesis of nano-fibrillar bismuth sulfide by a surfactant-assisted approach

Bi2S3 nanofibers with a diameter less than 10 nm and lengths ranging from 400 to 1000 nm were successfully prepared by a convenient solution route at 90 °C by using BiCl3 and thiourea as the starting materials. The product was characterized by XRD, XPS, and TEM techniques. It was found that anionic surfactant C17H33COOK played an important role in controlling the morphology of the product. The formation of the nanofibers could be well explained by the accordion-like folding mechanism.