Sonochemical-Assisted Coprecipitation Synthesis of Body-Centered Tetragonal Mn3O4 Spinel Nanostructures Using Polyethylene Glycol Template Agent

Abstract

The excellent characteristics of Mn3O4 nanomaterials have driven many experts to carry on exploring improved approaches for Mn3O4 fabrication. Herein, Mn3O4 nanostructures have been synthesized via sonochemical-assisted coprecipitation method. Polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) with various concentrations was employed as a surface coating. The combination of coprecipitation and ultrasonication has led to the formation of Mn3O4 nanoparticles which were well-confirmed by three different characterization instruments, i.e., X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) along with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The XRD data collection and analysis reveal the presence of single-phase of Mn3O4 spinels. The Rietveld refinement dictates the establishment of tetragonal distortion along the c-axis creating a body-centered tetragonal spinel structure with a space group of I41/AMDS. In addition, the SEM-EDX and FTIR data support the experimental results obtained by XRD.