Ordered magnetic core–manganese oxide shell nanostructures and their application in water treatment

Abstract

In this paper, we have reported a facile method for the synthesis of ordered magnetic core–manganese oxide shell nanostructures. The process included two steps. First, manganese ferrite nanoparticles were obtained through a solvothermal method. Then, the manganese ferrite nanoparticles were mixed directly with KMnO₄ solution without any additional modified procedures of the magnetic cores. It has been found that Mn element in the core can react with KMnO₄ to form manganese oxide which acts as a seed for the in-situgrowth of manganese oxide shells. This is significant for the controllable fabrication of symmetrical ordered manganese oxide shell structures. The shell thickness can be easily controlled through the reaction time. Transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy have been employed to characterize the products at different reaction time. The magnetic materials can be used as absorbents in wastewater treatment and exhibit a strong capability to remove organic pollutants. Furthermore, the materials are superparamagnetic and exhibit relative high saturation magnetization at room temperature, which makes the separation procedure more convenient in wastewater treatment.