Rational design of MnO@MnO hierarchical nanomaterials and their catalytic activities.

Hierarchically structured materials have special properties and possess potential in applications in the catalytic and electrochemical fields. Herein, two kinds of hierarchical core-shell nanostructures, lavender-like α-MnO@α-MnO and balsam pear-like α-MnO@γ-MnO, were prepared by a facile room-temperature method using α-MnO nanowires as a backbone under acidic and alkaline conditions, respectively. When being used as a catalyst for dimethyl ether combustion, α-MnO@γ-MnO exhibited a better performance than α-MnO@α-MnO (T = 171 vs.