Excellent catalytic and electrochemical properties of the mesoporous MnO2 nanospheres/nanosheets

In this paper, we report the successful synthesis of mesoporous MnO2 nanospheres composed of nanosheets via a facile hydrothermal route without any template. The phase and morphology of the products were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The reaction time played an important role in the formation of mesoporous MnO2 nanospheres. The obtained nanospheres showed superior catalytic ability in the degradation reaction of an aqueous solution of Rhodamine B (RhB) in the presence of H2O2. Electrochemical measurements predicted that the mesoporous MnO2 nanosphere-modified electrode showed good electrocatalytic properties for the reduction of H2O2 in alkaline medium, which might have wide application in electrochemical analysis. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.