Facile Route to Nanoporous NiO Structures from the α-Ni(OH)2/EG Precursor and Application in Water Treatment

Nanoporous actinia-shaped NiO structures have been synthesized by thermal decomposition of an actinia-shaped precursor that consists of the coalescence of alpha-Ni(OH)(2)/EG nanosheets achieved by the hydrothermal method. A possible formation mechanism is proposed to explain the formation of nanoporous actinia-shaped NiO structures. After calcination at different temperatures of 320 degrees and 400 degrees C, the actinia-like precursor completely transformed into nanoporous actinia-shaped NiO structures, which possessed a high specific surface and high nanoporous structures. As the calcination temperature increased, the BET surface area and the average pore diameter of products decreased, indicative of partial collapse of the nanoporous structures. The as-obtained nanoporous actinia-shaped NiO structures show an effective photocatalytic degradation of acid red 1 as well as a significant adsorption capacity of toxic chromium in water.