A Green Chemical Synthesis and Characterization of Mn3O4 nanoparticles

Mn3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized via an ionic liquid (IL) assisted process at room temperature, which is rather difficult to achieve by other techniques. The synthesized product was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermal gravimetry (TG), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The prepared material showed a high purity, while crystallite size and particle size agree well with each other, 17 +/- 2 and 19 +/- 3 nm, respectively, revealing nearly single crystalline character of nanoparticles. The product contains 4 wt% of adsorbed water and ionic liquid. This method provides a facile, one-step, and low-cost route for the synthesis of nanostructures of metal oxides. In addition, [BMIM]BF4 could be collected and reused for subsequent reactions.