Facile synthesis of self-supporting MnCo2O4 hollow structures

The thorn-like surface can avert the compact stacking of nanoparticles through the mutual supporting of thorns, while the hollow structure can provide more active sites by the utilization of the inner surface. On account of these, we reported the facile synthesis of self-supporting MnCo2O4 hollow structures using a hydrothermal way and subsequent calcination. Fluorine-coordinated metal ions (Mn2+ and Co2+) react with OH- and CO32-, generating the initial nanoparticles. Nanoparticles then go through a two-step assembly and a gas-driven deformation, ultimately forming the aforementioned morphology. In this process, the fluorine ion and the urea are regarded to play significant roles. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.