The laccase-like reactivity of manganese oxide nanomaterials for pollutant conversion: rate analysis and cyclic...

Nanostructured manganese oxides, e.g. MnO₂, have shown laccase-like catalytic activities, and are thus promising for pollutant oxidation in wastewater treatment. We have systematically compared the laccase-like reactivity of manganese oxide nanomaterials of different crystallinity, including α-, β-, γ-, δ-, and ɛ-MnO₂, and Mn₃O₄, with 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) and 17β-estradiol (E2) as the probing substrates. The reaction rate behaviors were examined with regard to substrate oxidation and oxygen reduction to evaluate the laccase-like catalysis of the materials, among which γ-MnO₂ exhibits the best performance. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was employed to assess the six MnO_x nanomaterials, and the results correlate well with their laccase-like catalytic activities. The findings help understand the mechanisms of and the factors controlling the laccase-like reactivity of different manganese oxides nanomaterials, and provide a basis for future design and application of MnO_x-based catalysts.