Fabrication of flexible α-MnO2 nanowire membranes with superior mechanical strength

The Assembly of one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures such as nanowires/nanorods/nanotubes into two-dimensional (2D) macrostructured films is attracting considerable research interest because of their unique properties and wide applications. In this study, flexible membranes were successfully fabricated using α-MnO2 nanowires synthesized through a hydrothermal method. The effects of thickness and post-annealing temperature on the mechanical properties of the membranes were investigated in detail. Nano-indentation measurements showed that the modulus of the as-prepared 11.75 μm-thick membrane reached 5.765 GPa, and the modulus increased with the increasing post-annealing temperature. Thus, the fabricated membranes with superior mechanical strength can have potential applications such as in photocatalysis, filtering, and supporting substrates.