Double-Shelled Mn2O3 Hollow Spheres and Their Application in Water Treatment

Double-shelled Mn2O3 hollow spheres have been successfully prepared on a large scale by using core-shell-structured MnCO3 microspheres as sacrificial templates. This new method is based on an inward oxidation/etching treatment and sequential heat treatment in air. The as-prepared double-shelled Mn2O3 hollow spheres consist of small nanoparticles with a size of ca. 50 nm, and there are many nanopores among the particles. As the double-shelled Mn2O3 hollow spheres were employed in water treatment, they could remove about 86 % of phenol without any other additives.