A Novel Rapid One-Step Synthesis of Manganese Oxide Nanoparticles at Room Temperature Using Poly(dimethylsiloxane)

Abstract

We report for the first time a novel rapid synthesis method for manganese oxide (MO) nanoparticles by a reaction between acidic permanganate and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). In contrast to the existing traditional methods for synthesis of MO nanoparticles, the new method has the advantage of shorter reaction time (∼2 h) at room temperature (∼25 °C). The produced MO nanoparticles are characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM, HRTEM). The material produced is semicrystalline silicon-doped MnO2 with homogeneous size and morphology with an average particle size around 300 nm. Other products of the reactions include Cl2, silicon dioxide sheets on PDMS, and CO2. A mechanism for this reaction is proposed. The prepared MO was successfully used as a catalyst for the rapid and highly efficient degradation of a water pollutant—Rhodamine B (RhB).