Low-temperature synthesis of nanoscale BaTiO3 powders via microwave-assisted solid-state reaction

Microwave-assisted solid-state reactions (MSSR) are investigated for their ability to synthesize nanocrystalline BaTiO3 powders at low temperatures. Ba(OH)2·H2O and TiO2·xH2O are, respectively, initial precursors for Ba and Ti. In this study, these precursors were mixed according to their chemical stoichiometry and heated in a temperature range of 100–1000 °C by MSSR. Nanocrystalline BaTiO3 powders having an average size of 26 nm were produced by MSSR, even at 100 °C. The crystallization-related activation energy for the formation of BaTiO3 with the precursors by MSSR was ~ 9.6 kJ/mol, which is less than 1/10 of the value (120 kJ/mol) when the conventional solid-state reaction was applied. The nanostructural and physical features of the MSSR-based powders are compared with those prepared using the conventional solid-state reaction.