Growth and magnetic properties of MnO2-δ nanowire microspheres

We report the synthesis of MnO2-delta microspheres using hydrothermal and conventional chemical reaction methods. The microspheres of MnO2-delta consist of nanowires having a diameter of 20-50 nm and a length of 2-8 mum. The value of oxygen vacancy delta estimated from x-ray photoelectron spectrum is 0.3. The magnetization versus temperature curve indicates a magnetic transition at about 13 K. It is found that a parasitic ferromagnetic component is imposed on the antiferromagnetic structure of MnO2-delta, which might result from distortion of the lattice structure due to oxygen vacancies. The magnetic transition temperature T-N is about 10 K lower than that of the bulk MnO2 single crystal. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.