Synthesis and characterization of high surface area mesoporous manganese oxides nanofibers prepared by electrospinning technique

Abstract

The electrospinning technique is used to synthesize several types of mesoporous manganese oxides, namely Mn₂O₃, Mn₃O₄, and hybrid manganese oxides. The as-spun nanofibers are heated at different temperatures from 500 to 1000 °C for 2 h. XRD analysis reveals that the Mn₂O₃ phase starts to form at 500 °C, whereas at 900 °C, Mn₂O₃ and Mn₃O₄ are co-existent and at 1000 °C, Mn₃O₄ is the sole phase. The mesoporous material’s behavior can be seen in all isotherms of the prepared manganese oxide nanofibers. The maximum surface area of 1306.98 m²/g is achieved for the sample calcined at 500 °C, which is one of the highest surface areas recorded for Mn₂O₃ as compared with the literature.