Preparation of 0.95Bi1/2Na1/2TiO3·0.05BaTiO3 Ceramics by an Aqueous Citrate-Gel Route

This report details development of a route to solution-derived (1− x )Bi_1/2Na_1/2TiO₃· x BaTiO₃ powders. The method developed was the citrate-gel method—an evaporative, aqueous technique. When applied to 0.95Bi_1/2Na_1/2TiO₃·0.05BaTiO₃ (BNBT-5), the method produced perovskite phase powders that readily densified in the temperature range of 1000°C. The grain size of the sintered materials was on the order of 1 μm, and the weak-field dielectric properties at 1 MHz were similar to those reported for conventionally prepared materials sintered at higher temperatures (e.g., 1200°C).