Preparation of nanofibers consisting of MnO/Mn3O4 by using the electrospinning technique: the nanofibers have two band-gap energies

In the present study, nanofibers consisting of manganese monoxide (MnO), which is hard to prepare because of the chemical activity of the manganese metal, and the popular Mn 3 O 4 have been synthesized via the electrospinning technique. The nanofibers were obtained by electrospinning of an aqueous sol–gel consisting of manganese acetate tetra-hydrate and poly(vinyl alcohol). The obtained nanofiber mats were dried in vacuum at 80°C for 24 h and then calcined in argon atmosphere at 900°C for 5 h. According to X-ray diffraction results, the obtained nanofibers contain 65% MnO. Transmission electron microscope analysis reveals good crystallinity of the produced nanofibers. UV–visible spectroscopic analysis has indicated that the produced nanofibers have two band-gap energies, 2 and 3.7 eV, which enhances utilizing of the nanofibers in different applications.