Issue 13, 2017

Facile synthesis of 3D hierarchical MnO2 microspheres and their ultrahigh removal capacity for organic pollutants

Abstract

Well-defined 3D hierarchical MnO2 microspheres have been successfully prepared by a simple microwave heating method in just 10 minutes without using any templates, catalysts or organic reagents. The as-synthesized MnO2 microspheres were characterized using XRD, XPS, BET, SEM, TEM and HRTEM methods. The 3D hierarchical MnO2 microspheres have porous structures with high specific surface area (184.32 m2 g−1) and large pore volume (0.416 cm3 g−1). The MnO2 microspheres are composed of ultrathin nanosheets with thicknesses of around 2 nm. The MnO2 microspheres exhibit exceptional catalytic performance for the degradation of methyl blue (MB) in aqueous solution, indicating their strong potential for wastewater treatment. The microspheres degrade 95% of MB (400 mg L−1) within 25 minutes in the presence of H2O2via a Fenton-like reaction. The weight ratio of degraded MB to MnO2 microspheres (40 mg mg−1) is the highest among all reported catalysts for MB. The MnO2 microspheres also demonstrate efficient performance as a reactive sorbent for organophosphate pesticides, with 90% of parathion methyl degraded within 100 minutes in non-polar organic solvent (n-heptane). The ultrahigh removal capacity can be ascribed to the high specific surface area, porous structure and ultrathin nanosheets that are the building blocks of the MnO2 microspheres.

Graphical abstract: Facile synthesis of 3D hierarchical MnO2 microspheres and their ultrahigh removal capacity for organic pollutants

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
19 Jan 2017
Accepted
16 Apr 2017
First published
17 Apr 2017

New J. Chem., 2017,41, 5794-5801

Facile synthesis of 3D hierarchical MnO2 microspheres and their ultrahigh removal capacity for organic pollutants

S. Khalid and C. Cao, New J. Chem., 2017, 41, 5794 DOI: 10.1039/C7NJ00228A

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