Tuning the morphology of SrTiO3 nanocubes and their enhanced electrical conductivity

Strontium titanate (SrTiO₃) nanocubes were prepared via the solvothermal method in an isopropanol-water system, using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a capping agent and tert-butylamine (TBA) as a mineralizer. We found that the presence of TBA produced a synergistic effect in the nucleation and growth of SrTiO₃ in the solution, which enabled control over the formation of well-defined cubic particles. X-ray diffraction patterns of SrTiO₃, synthesized with the addition of 1 mol of TBA, showed a perovskite structure with high crystallinity. The presence of specific absorption peaks in the fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum confirmed the existence of CTAB and TBA on the surface of the particles. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images showed that the sharp-edged cubic particles had narrow size distributions, and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns indicated a high crystallinity. An increase in electrical conductivity values was found in the bulk samples with regular nanocube particles compared to those of non-regular nanocubes.