Liquid-phase controlled synthesis of Sb-derived heterostructures

Antimony (Sb) based compounds such as Sb₂O₃ and Sb₂S₃ have shown promises in electronics, catalysis and sensing devices. Their functional performances can be further improved by integration with other materials to from composites or heterostructures, which however, usually require tedious procedures with poor morphology control. Herein, we realized direct hydrothermal synthesis of Sb₂O₃/SnO₂ heterostructures and Sb₂S₃/SnS₂ heterostructures by using liquid-phase exfoliated two-dimensional (2D) Sb nanoflakes as precursors. Compared to directly using SbCl₃ salt as the reactant, using the Sb nanoflakes enabled the slow release of Sb³⁺ ions which benefited the better controlled nucleation and growth of Sb₂O₃ (or Sb₂S₃) acting as growth templates for the further deposition of SnO₂ (or SnS₂). As a demonstration, the as-prepared Sb₂S₃/SnS₂ heterostructures were employed for photocatalytic methylene blue (MB) degradation, which exhibited a faster degradation rate compared to Sb₂S₃ or SnS₂ alone. Our work offers an alternative strategy with elemental 2D materials as precursors for the preparation of heterostructured functional materials.