Preparation and characterization of coral-like nanostructured α-Mn2O3 catalyst for catalytic combustion of methane

Coral-like nanostructured α-Mn2O3 has been prepared by oxidative decomposition of MnCO3. This catalyst exhibited tremendous reactivity during the catalytic combustion of methane compared to the commercial α-Mn2O3. It also showed ultrahigh stability during methane oxidation while the structure features were unaffected. The ultra stable structure of α-Mn2O3 catalyst during reaction has been demonstrated by the characterization of SEM, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy. The performance of the α-Mn2O3 as-prepared has proven to be reproducible and potentially can be applied as a catalyst for methane combustion.