Facile synthesis and electrochemical application of surface-modified Bi2S3 urchin-like nano-spheres at room temperature

Urchin-like patterns of Bi2S3 nano-spheres with diameter of about 200-400 nm were synthesized in DMF at room temperature via a facile route with surfactant quaternary ammonium salt of 2-undecyl-1-dithioureido-ethyl-imidazoline (SUDEI) prepared in our lab as surface-modifying agent. The obtained Bi2S3 products were characterized by TEM, SEM, XRD, UV-vis and FT-IR, respectively. The influences of various SUDEI concentrations on the morphology of Bi2S3 products were investigated briefly. In addition, the preliminary application of the urchin-like Bi2S3 nano-spheres in electrochemical DNA analysis is also studied, showing that the obtained surface-modified Bi2S3 urchin-like nano-spheres product is of promising application value in the field of electrochemical DNA detection analysis. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.