Dimensional-transformation of hexagonal antimonene nanosheets through the manipulation of reduction kinetics

Antimonene (Sb) has been widely studied owing to its high carrier mobility, high thermal conductivity, and tunable electronic properties. Conventional synthetic methods for antimonene nanosheets (Sb-NSs) are more complex and multi-step reactions, mainly including the epitaxial growth method, mechanical peeling method, electrochemical separation method, and liquid-phase separation method. Here, we report a simple method for the synthesis of Sb-NSs on Ni foam from two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets to one-dimensional (1D) nanowires via hydrothermal method. The fabricated hexagonal Sb-NSs exhibit a transverse scale of 400 nm and a thickness of approximately 50 nm. When evaluated as anode materials for lithium storage, hexagonal Sb-NSs deliver a high reversible capacity of 870.3 mAh g ^−1 at 0.2 A g ^−1 and a reversible capacity of 375 mAh g ^−1 at 0.2 A g ^−1 after 60 cycles. As a result, the successful preparation of dimensional-switching Sb-NMs provides a new class of 2D materials for LIBs.