Synthesis of hierarchical MnCo2O4.5 nanostructure modified MnOOH nanorods for catalytic degradation of methylene blue

•MnCo2O4.5/MnOOH hybrid materials were obtained using a facile two-step method.•Hydrothermally synthesized MnOOH nanorods as both the template and Mn source.•MnCo2O4.5/MnOOH hybrid materials as an efficient catalyst for water treatment.•The catalytic performances were evaluated in the catalytic oxidation of MB.

A facile two-step method was developed for a large-scale growth of hierarchical MnCo2O4.5 nanostructure modified MnOOH nanorods (MC hybrid materials) as an efficient catalyst for water treatment. The synthesis involved a one-step hydrothermal process to prepare MnOOH nanorods and subsequently a simple solution method using hydrothermally synthesized MnOOH nanorods as both the template and Mn source to obtain MnCo2O4.5/MnOOH (MC) hybrid materials. The as-prepared MC hybrid materials with hierarchical structures could provide more active sites for catalytic degradation of methylene blue. These results indicate that the designed MC hybrid materials exhibit a promising capability for the degradation of dyes.