Sol-gel route to the tunneled manganese oxide cryptomelane

摘要

The Sol-gel route between KMnO_4 and fumaric acid in a 3:1 mole ratio generates a flocculant gel that serves as a precursor to the tunneled manganese oxide, crytomelane. The elemental composition of sol-gel cryptomelane has been determined to be K_0.12MnO_2.0 (H_2O)_0.09. Further characterization has been performed using powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Auger electron spectroscopy. The sol-gel process is heavily dependent on reactant concentration.