New Advances in the Synthesis and Application of Selenium
Materials

The new method for visible light aided light-heat chemical
synthesis developed by the University of Science and Technology
of China (USTC) successfully synthesized special selenium
materials with different forms. Research results show that the
shape and the structure of selenium materials have significant
implications on their electrochemical hydrogen storage
behavior.
    The controllable preparation and performance readjustment
of nanometer structures is an important orientation in the
research of nanometer materials. The research team has already
made major achievements in the preparation of selenium nanometer
strips and nanometer cellular structures through the gaseous
deposition process. The research team synthesized selenium
tubes with a length of larger than 100mm at one step in 2005 and
also discovered that such super long selenium tubes have
satisfactory electrochemical hydrogen storage behavior. Their
discharge volume reaches 265m Ah/g. The research of
electrochemical hydrogen storage materials has therefore been
extended from materials with laminated structure to materials
with chain structure or sub-laminated structure. Besides, the
research team has also developed the method for bio-molecule
aided synthesis. Mono-crystalline nanometer lines and nanometer
strips can be synthesized at one step in mild conditions. Their
growth mechanism is found to be different from conventional
spherical line transition.
   The research team has also extended the research of
electrochemical hydrogen storage behavior of special nanometer
structures to metal sulfide materials. For example, a new porous
sponge-like Ni3S2 nanometer structure has been prepared. Such
porous nanometer structure displays excellent hydrogen storage
behavior. Its electrochemical volume reaches 380mAh/g, equal to
the hydrogen storage amount of a 1.4% (wt) single-wall carbon
nanometer tube. Ni3S2 products with different forms have also
been prepared through the readjustment to reaction conditions.
Their different electrochemical hydrogen storage behaviors have
further proved the implications of the shape and the structure
of materials on their performance.