Preparation and Photocatalytic Activity of Mn_2O_3 Microspheres

Mn2O3 microspheres were synthesized by a two-step method in ethylene glycol(EG) system.First,the precursor was produced in the presence of ethylene glycol(EG) by using MnCl2·4H2O and sodium acetate(NaAc) as reactants.Second,the precursor was calcined to obtain the products of crystalline Mn2O3.The products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction(XRD),transmission electron microscope(TEM) and scanning electron microscope(SEM).Moreover,the photocatalytic activity of the products was examined by measuring the photodegradation of methylene blue solution with ultraviolet radiation in the presence of H2O2.The results show that the as-synthesized Mn2O3 microspheres assembled by nanoslices,which is composed of large quantity of nanoparticles.And the average diameters of the Mn2O3 microspheres are 7km.The formation mechanism of the Mn2O3 microspheres is simply discussed.And the Mn2O3 microspheres have good photocatalytic activity due to its particular structure.