Study on the special properties of manganese oxide nanoclusters confined in the ordered porous zirconium oxide

Manganese oxide nanoclusters were synthesized within ordered porous ZrO₂ by using wet impregnation technique. X-ray powder diffraction, HRTEM, XPS, UV-vis spectroscopy, Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and O₂-TPD measurement were adopted for the characterization of the synthesized materials. The results showed that the nanoclusters of manganese oxide could be successfully confined and randomly distributed into the pores of ZrO₂. The size of the MnO₂ nanoclusters was better confined by the dimension of the pore channels with increasing the heating temperature. EPR measurement revealed that decreasing of the particles' sizes led to a significant change in the magnetic property. The excellent oxygen adsorption properties of the clusters of manganese oxide confined into the pore channels were demonstrated by the O₂-TPD analysis.