Fabrication and formation mechanism of Mn2O3 hollow nanofibers by single-spinneret electrospinning

Mn2O3 hollow nanofibers (Mn2O3 HNs) have been prepared by direct annealing of electrospun polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/manganese acetate composite nanofibers. The morphology, crystal structure and compositions of the Mn2O3 HNs were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicated that composite nanofibers after calcination at high temperature still retain their fibrous morphology with a fascinating hollow structure. The resultant HNs are Mn2O3 of high purity. The temperature-dependent experiments were carried out to monitor the evolution process of Mn2O3 HNs. The well-defined Mn2O3 HNs are the products of the reversed crystallization during the annealing process.