Facile synthesis and catalytic oxidation property of palygorskite/mesocrystalline Ce1−xMnxO2 nanocomposites

► Novel palygorskite/mesocrystalline Ce1−xMnxO2 nanocomposites prepared by one-pot chemical approach. ► Surface oxides predominantly expose {2 0 0} planes at optimal Mn doping, highly oriented with the crystal axis [1 0 0] parallel to the longitudinal direction of palygorskite. ► Mesoscale crystal structure strongly depends on the Mn doping ratio. ► The nanocomposites demonstrate excellent catalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange.