Controllable Synthesis of Mn3O4 Nanowires and Application in the Treatment of Phenol at Room Temperature

Nanosized Mn3O4 nanowires are prepared with KMnO4 and ethanol in mild conditions by facile hydrothermal method. Hydrothermal reaction temperature is optimized to get uniform nanowires. The prepared Mn3O4 nanowires exhibit high activity in the treatment of phenol at acid condition and room temperature. The 20 mg Mn3O4 nanowires can efficiently dispose of 50 mL phenol solution (0.2 gL(-1)) at pH 2 and 25 degrees C. The nanowires before and after phenol treatment are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the reaction mechanism is discussed.