Achieving MnO₂ Nanosheets through Surface Redox Reaction on Nickel Nanochains for Catalysis and Energy Storage

Abstract

Abstract The redox reaction between KMnO 4 and Ni was carried out on a chain‐like Ni surface under hydrothermal conditions and γ‐MnO 2 nanosheets were produced through this facile route. The original Ni nanochains, as cores, dominated the final morphology of the composites with MnO 2 nanosheets loaded on their surface. The uniform assemblies of MnO 2 , with large amounts of exposed sites, allowed them to be good candidates for application in various fields. The reduction of 4‐nitrophenol by NaBH 4 was selected as model reaction to test the catalytic activity of the samples and the samples could also be made into electrodes for supercapacitor measurement. Both the results revealed the advantages of the γ‐MnO 2 assembled on the Ni chain surfaces. Furthermore, the magnetic cores facilitated the recycling of the sample and increased the stability upon charge–discharge cycles.