Title:Preliminary Study on the Quick Synthesis of Manganese Oxide-redu ced Graphene Oxide Nano-hybrids and their Magnetic Properties
VOLUME: 1 ISSUE: 1
Author(s):Surbhi Sharma*, Jake Mclaughlin and Carolina Musse-Branco
Affiliation:School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, Birmingham, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT
Keywords:Graphene, magnetic properties, manganese oxide, microwave, residual oxygen functional groups, ultra sonication.
Abstract:Background: Various studies have been carried out on MnOx supported on high-surface
area nano-carbon based supports like CNTs and graphene. Most methods reported in literature use
lengthy procedures involving multiple steps to grow MnOx nanostructures on reduced graphene oxide.
Moreover, most methods using ultrasonication or electrochemical deposition of MnOx use KMnO4 as
the precursor, which invariably leads to K impurities.
Objective: Manganese oxide and partially reduced graphene oxide (MnOx-PRGO) nano-hybrids were
prepared using a one step wet chemical process to study their magnetic properties.
Method and Results: A simple wet chemical method via a combination of microwave and sonication
processes was utilized to prepare MnOx-PRGO nano-hybrids with different MnOx loadings. The combination
of the two processes allowed control over minimising the residual K impurities in such systems.
The as-prepared MnOx-PRGO nano-hybrids were extensively characterised using transmission
electron microscopy, Fourier transform-Infra-red spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis and X-ray
photoelectron spectroscopy.
Conclusion: The MnOx-PRGO nano-hybrids responded to magnetic fields at room temperature, which
was dependant on the MnOx loading. The system showed some ferromagnetic behaviour at low applied
magnetic fields with Hc = 127.5 Oe and remanant magnetisation of 0.076 emu/g. The Neel temperature
was found to be 9 K. The hybrid system showed paramagnetic behaviour with a near linear 1/χversus T
plot.
