A facile poly acrylic acid (PAA) soft templating method was developed to fabricate manganese oxide loaded hollow silica particles (MHSPs). The synthesis involves PAA-Mn aggregation to form spherical particles and silica coating layer formation on the outer surface of the particles. Subsequent calcination in air at 500 degrees C removes the polymer inside the particles, and hollow silica spheres with trapped metal oxide particles are thus formed. The PAA traps the Mn ions and forms aggregates which template the silica shell formation in this process. The Mn content and the structure of the MHSPs can be tuned by changing doses of the Mn salt initially added. Moreover, decomposition of PAA during calcination endows high surface areas of the MHSPs. Catalytic oxidation of methylene blue (MB) with H2O2 was tested on the MHSPs. The results show that the MHSPs with hollow structure and high surface areas enhance the catalytic activity compare to the corresponding manganese oxide solid particles (MSPs). This strategy can also be used to synthesize other metal oxides (such as MgO and NiO) loaded hollow silica particles. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.