Nucleation site and mechanism leading to growth of bulk-quantity $Mn3O4$ nanorods Available to Purchase

We report a simple and effective method for the generation of bulk-quantity nanorods of manganese oxide, $Mn3O4$⁠, under surroundings of a suitable surfactant and alkaline solution. It is found that the $Mn3O4$ nanorod is smooth, straight, and that the geometrical shape is structurally perfect, which is produced with lengths from several hundreds nanometers to a few micrometers, and diameters range from $10nmto30nm$⁠. We amazedly found that the dripping speed of the NaOH solution plays an important role in formation of bulk-quantity $Mn3O4$ nanorods. The difference of dripping speed of the NaOH solution leads to a large difference of $Mn3O4$ morphologies, which is observed in the transmission electron microscopy images. The growth of the $Mn3O4$ nanorods is suggested first to follow a self-catalyzed solution-liquid-solid mechanism.