Tuning peculiar antimony micro- and nano-morphology via a novel electrodeposition approach

Antimony (Sb) microspheres composed of antimony nanoplates or nanoparticles were synthesized via a novel electrodeposition technique onto the top surface of porous anodic alumina membrane (AAM) after the growth of antimony nanowires. The two kinds of morphologies could be controlled by altering the experimental parameters, and the size of the nanoplates could also be tuned by adjusting the deposition potential. Besides, the micro- and nano-structure had relative narrow size distribution. Based on the experimental results, the possible growth mechanism was also proposed briefly. The method demonstrated here extends the application of AAM and can be used to synthesize other micro- and nano-structured materials.