Synthesis of nanocrystalline Mn3O4 at 100°C

A simple gel to crystal conversion route has been followed for the preparation of nanocrystalline tetragonal Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} powders at 80-100 deg. C under refluxing conditions. Freshly prepared manganese hydroxide gel is allowed to crystallize under refluxing and stirring conditions for 4-6 h. Formation of nano crystallites of Mn{sub 3}O{sub 4} is confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) study. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) investigations revealed that the average particle size is 50 nm for these powders.