Synthesis, characterization and magnetic properties of β-MnO2 nanorods

β-MnO2 nanorods were successfully prepared by a simple refluxing route using manganese sulfate (MnSO4·H2O), sodium persulfate (Na2S2O8) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as the raw materials. The product was characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, ED, EDX and TG-DTG. The results showed that the nanostructured materials were exactly manganese dioxides (pyrolusite) with rutile crystal structures and the diameter of β-MnO2 nanorods ranged from 50 to 80 nm and the length ranged from 1.0 to 2.0 μm. Meanwhile, the high yield (∼70%) of high-quality β-MnO2 nanorods can be attained. The magnetic properties of the products have been evaluated using a vibrating magnetometer, which showed that the β-MnO2 nanorods exhibited ferromagnetic characteristics at room temperature.