Uniform antimony (Sb) nanotubes were successfully synthesized via a facile solvothermal method without the need for any surfactants or templates. The Sb nanotubes are confirmed to be pure rhombohedral phase and have better crystallinity. These nanotubes show middle-hollow and open-ended structures, as well as multi-walled structures with the wall thickness of about 10 nm. Also, they have an average size of the diameter of about 50 nm and the length of about 350 nm. On the basis of the structural and morphological studies, a possible rolling mechanism is proposed to explain the formation of Sb nanotubes. It is expected that uniform Sb nanotubes can further be used in wide applications. Graphical Abstract A possible rolling-formation mechanism is proposed for forming pure rhombhedral phase and high crystallinity antimony nanotubes without any surfactants or templates via a facile solvothermal method.
Keywords: Rolling mechanism; Sb nanotubes; Solvothermal synthesis.