Hydrothermal Synthesis for Large Barium Titanate Powders at a Low Temperature: Effect of Titania Aging in an Alkaline Solution

Monodisperse and spherical barium titanate (BaTiO₃) powders with diameters of 200–470 nm were directly prepared by a low-temperature hydrothermal method at 90°C. Spherical titania (TiO₂) powders, ranging in size from 150 to 420 nm, were initially prepared by a controlled hydrolysis and condensation reaction, aged in a highly alkaline solution for 12 h, and then hydrothermally reacted with barium hydroxide to be converted to BaTiO₃ without a morphological change. The aging step of the TiO₂, where the surface of TiO₂ was highly densified through elimination of the pores, was indispensable to retain the sizes and shapes of TiO₂ in the resulting BaTiO₃. This was due to the fact that the formation of BaTiO₃ proceeded by an in situ reaction mechanism. The resulting BaTiO₃ powders exhibited dense and nonporous structures even after calcination at 1000°C.     

Fabrication of Millimeter-Wave Electromagnetic Bandgap Crystals Using Microwave Dielectric Powders

Electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structures active in the 90–110 GHz region widely used by security imaging radar were created using different ceramics by a rapid prototyping method informed by finite difference time domain modeling. This solid free-forming method uses a high volatility solvent-based ceramic paste extruded through fine nozzles allowing ceramic powders to be assembled on a multiaxis building platform avoiding machining, etching, or the alignment of loose rods and created to designs downloaded directly from a computer file. Lattices were made from two high dielectric constant ceramics: La(Mg_0.5, Ti_0.5)O₃ and (Zr_0.8, Sn_0.2)TiO₄ and compared with those of Al₂O₃ demonstrating three EBG structures with different dimensions and dielectric constants but with the same bandgap. The effects of manufacturing tolerances on bandgap frequency are investigated by simulation.     

Synthesis of Nanosized Titanium-Chromium Oxynitride Powders by Ammonolysis of Coprecipitated TiO2/Cr2O3 Precursors

Interstitial titanium-chromium oxynitrides in the solid solution series Ti_{1− z} Cr _z (O _x N _y ) ( z = 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.8) have been obtained by ammonolysis of the TiO₂/Cr₂O₃ precursors resulting from the coprecipitation method. The precursors and the resulting oxynitrides were characterized by auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, electron probe microanalysis, transmission electron microscopy, and BET surface area techniques. Compounds in the Ti_{1− z} Cr _z (O _x N _y ) series are prepared as single phases by nitridation at 1073 K for 8 h. The as-synthesized oxynitride powders contain only Ti_{1− z} Cr _z (O _x N _y ) with cubic structure and the particle size is in the nanometer scale.     

Formation of Lead Zirconate-Lead Titanate Solid Solutions

Formation of the Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ solid solution in the system PbO-TiO₂-ZrO₂ was studied by chemical analysis and X-ray powder diffrac-tometry. Only PbTiO₃ and Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ were found as reaction products. The following three elementary reactions seemed to be reasonable for the formation of the Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃ phase: PbO + TiO₂→ PbTiO₃, PbTiO₃+ PbO + ZrO₂→Pb(Zr_1-λTi_λ)O₃, and Pb(Zr_l-λTi_λ)O₃+ PbTiO₃→ Pb(Zr_1-λ'Ti_λ')O₃ (λ<λ').     

Anatase-Type TiO2 and ZrO2-Doped TiO2 Directly Formed from Titanium(III) Sulfate Solution by Thermal Hydrolysis: Effect of the Presence of Ammonium Peroxodisulfate on their Formation and Properties

Anatase-type TiO₂ powder containing sulfur with absorption in the visible region was directly formed as particles with crystallite in the range 15–88 nm by thermal hydrolysis of titanium(III) sulfate (Ti₂(SO₄)₃) solution at 100°–240°C. Because of the presence of ammonium peroxodisulfate ((NH₄)₂S₂O₈), the yield of anatase-type TiO₂ from Ti₂(SO₄)₃ solution was accelerated, and anatase with fine crystallite was formed. Anatase-type TiO₂ doped with ZrO₂ up to 9.8 mol% was directly precipitated as nanometer-sized particles from the acidic precursor solutions of Ti₂(SO₄)₃ and zirconium sulfate in the presence and the absence of (NH₄)₂S₂O₈ by simultaneous hydrolysis under hydrothermal conditions at 200°C. By doping ZrO₂ into TiO₂ and with increasing ZrO₂ content, the crystallite size of anatase was decreased, and the anatase-to-rutile phase transformation was retarded as much as 200°C. The anatase-type structure of ZrO₂-doped TiO₂ was maintained after heating at 1000°C for 1 h. The favorable effect of doping ZrO₂ to anatase-type TiO₂ on the photocatalytic activity was observed.     

Conventionally Prepared Submicrometer Lead-Based Perovskite Powders by Reactive Calcination

Submicrometer powders of various Pb-based perovskites, including PbTiO₃, PbZrO₃, Pb(Zr_0.53Ti_0.47)O₃, and Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ were prepared by a reactive calcination process. Using only reagent-grade raw materials and conventional processing techniques, highly reactive powders were produced by reacting the materials near the temperature of maximum volumetric expansion. At this point, the morphological development results in a skeletal-type structure consisting of ultrafine particulates that can be readily broken down further by milling. Powder sizes less than 0.3 μm and as small as 70 nm generally only achievable using chemical processing techniques were achieved. The highly reactive powders allowed densification to occur at temperatures as low as ∼900°C with correspondingly small grain sizes. A model describing the physiochemical behavior and associated morphological development of Pb-based perovskites was herein proposed.     

Mechanism of ZrTiO4 Synthesis by Mechanochemical Processing of TiO2 and ZrO2

High-energy ball milling initiates a solid-state reaction in an equimolar mixture of TiO₂ and ZrO₂. The first stage of ball milling induced the transformation of anatase TiO₂ to high-pressure phase TiO₂ (II), isostructural with ZrTiO₄. The formation of solid solutions monoclinic ZrO₂/TiO₂ and TiO₂ (II)/ZrO₂ was observed in the intermediate stage. Afterward, a nanosized ZrTiO₄ phase was formed in the milled product from the TiO₂ (II)/ZrO₂ solid solution. The sintering of the milled product at a temperature <1100°C was examined in situ by Raman spectroscopy. The full solid-state reaction toward ZrTiO₄ ceramic is completed at a temperature considerably lower than reported in the literature.     

Solid-State Diffusive Amorphization in TiO2/ZrO2 Bilayers

Thin films of crystalline TiO₂ were deposited on self-assembled organic monolayers from aqueous TiCl₄ solutions at 80°C; partially crystalline ZrO₂ films were deposited on top of the TiO₂ layers from Zr(SO₄)₂ solutions at 70°C. In the absence of a ZrO₂ film, the TiO₂ films had the anatase structure and underwent grain coarsening on annealing at temperatures up to 800°C; in the absence of a TiO₂ film, the ZrO₂ films crystallized to the tetragonal polymorph at 500°C. However, the TiO₂ and ZrO₂ bilayers underwent solid-state diffusive amorphization at 500°C, and ZrTiO₄ crystallization could be observed only at temperatures of 550°C or higher. This result implies that metastable amorphous ZrTiO₄ is energetically favorable compared to two-phase mixtures of crystalline TiO₂ and ZrO₂, but that crystallization of ZrTiO₄ involves a high activation barrier.     

Solid-State Preparation of BaTiO3-Based Dielectrics, Using Ultrafine Raw Materials

BaTiO₃ and Ba(Ti,Zr)O₃ dielectric powders have been prepared from submicrometer BaCO₃, TiO₂, and ZrO₂. By use of submicrometer BaCO₃ the intermediate formation of Ba₂TiO₄ second phase can be widely suppressed. Monophase perovskites of BaTiO₃ were already formed at 900°C and Ba(Ti,Zr)O₃ at 1050°C. Aggregates of very small subgrains could be easily disintegrated to particle sizes <0.5 μm.     

Synthesis of Ultrafine and Spherical Barium Titanate Powders Using a Titania Nano-Sol

A novel synthetic method for the preparation of spherical, homogeneous, and ultrafine barium titanate (BaTiO₃) powders is described. An aqueous titania nano-sol was prepared by peptizing coarse aggregate of hydrous titania with nitric acid. BaTiO₃ powders could be synthesized through a simple reflux method using the titania nano-sol and barium hydroxide. As decreasing the titanium concentration, the particle size of the resulting spherical BaTiO₃ powder was increased from 40 to 130 nm and the porosity also increased. It was revealed that the smaller as-prepared BaTiO₃ powder was less porous and became more tetragonal with less intragranular pores after annealing. With this method, a highly tetragonal BaTiO₃ powder ( c / a ∼1.008) with a particle size of 120.0 nm was successfully prepared and would be very suitable for the thinner dielectrics in higher capacitance multilayer ceramic capacitors.     

Formation of Zirconia Titanate Solid Solution from Alkoxides

In the system ZrO₂–TiO₂, ZrTiO₄ solid solutions prepared by the simultaneous hydrolysis of zirconium and titanium alkoxides crystallize at low temperatures from amorphous materials between 30 and 70 mol% TiO₂. As zirconium is substituted for titanium, the solid solutions can be indexed in an orthorhombic unit cell with a and c decreasing linearly from 0.4832 to 0.4778 nm and from 0.5063 to 0.5002 nm, respectively, and b increasing linearly from 0.5401 to 0.5478 nm. The volume of the unit cell decreases continuously with increasing TiO₂ content. At higher temperatures the solid solutions decompose into ZrTiO₄ and either ZrO₂ (monoclinic) or TiO₂ (rutile), depeanding on the starting composition.     

Chemical Preparation of Lead-Containing Niobate Powders

A chemical precipitation method was developed for synthesis of typical relaxor compounds—Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ (PMN), Pb(Fe_1/2Nb_1/2)O₃ (PFN), and Pb(Sc_1/2Nb_1/2)O₃ (PSN)—from nitrate solutions. To obtain a niobium precursor compatible with the aqueous chemical routes, peroxo-niobium complex solutions were prepared by dissolving hydrated niobia precipitates in a dilute nitric acid solution with hydrogen peroxide. Powders that consisted of small particles ranging from 20 to 40 nm were successfully precipitated from the mixed nitrate solutions by hydrolysis with aqueous ammonia solutions. On calcination, these powders were highly reactive. For example, PMN precursor powder began to crystallize simultaneously to cubic pyrochlore and perovskite phases at ∼400°C and yielded ∼95% of the perovskite phase after calcination at 800°C for 1 h. PFN and PSN precursor powders calcined under similar conditions formed single perovskite phases.     

Factors Determining Grain Orientation in Bismuth Sodium Potassium Titanate–Lead Zirconate Titanate Solid Solutions Made by the Reactive Templated Grain Growth Method

Grain-oriented Bi_0.5(Na_0.85K_0.15)_0.5TiO₃-Pb(Zr_{1− x} Ti _x )O₃ (BNKT-PZT) ceramics were prepared via the reactive templated grain growth method, using platelike Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ particles. Factors that determine the degree of orientation were examined. Prereacted PZT gave a larger degree of orientation than PZT raw materials (PbO, ZrO₂, and TiO₂) in the 75BNKT-25PZT ( x = 0.5) system. Increases in the titanium concentration in the PZT of the 75BNKT-25PZT system and in the BNKT concentration in the y BNKT-(100 − y )PZT ( x = 0.5) system increased the degree of orientation. The direction of material transport between BNKT and PZT was important to obtain ceramics with a large degree of orientation.     

Preparation and Characterization of Platinum–Ceramic Composite Powders and Thin Films

Pt–ceramaic (TiO₂, ZrO₂, and ZrO₂–5 mol% Y₂O₃ (PSZ)) composite powders were prepared by liquid-phase reaction. These composite powders show highly functional properties such as the following. The sintered films of these powders are good metallic conductors. The resistivity of the Pt–PSZ film at room temperature is about 1.5 × 10⁻⁵Ω·cm, which is almost comparable to that of pure platinum (1.05 × 10⁻⁵Ω·cm). This film shows excellent cathodic oxygen reduction. The overpotential for the oxygen reduction at 750°C is less than 20 mV even at a high current density of 0.1 A/cm². The Pt–TiO₂ composite powders have highly catalytic activity for the reduction of NO gas.     

Reaction Sequence in the Formation of Lead Zirconate-Lead Titanate Solid Solution: Role of Raw Materials

The reaction sequence in the formation of Pb(Zr_0.6Ti_0.4)O₃ (PZT 60/40) was investigated as a function of PbO and ZrO₂ raw material variations, using powder X-ray diffraction. Particular emphasis was placed on the final stages of reaction in the formation of PZT solid solution. Based on the present work, a more detailed reaction sequence is being proposed for Pb(Zr_0.6Ti_0.4)O₃ and similar compositions. This reaction sequence is believed to account for many of the apparent discrepancies which have appeared in the literature.     

Phase Separation of Alkoxy-derived (Ti,Sn)O2 Oriented Thin Films

Oriented (Ti,Sn)O₂ thin films with modulated microstructure were successfully synthesized on sapphire substrates by using sol–gel processing combined with spinodal decomposition. The degree of orientation of (Ti_0.5Sn_0.5)O₂ thin films increased in the following order: sapphire (0001), (11     0), and (01     2). (Ti_0.5Sn_0.5)O₂ thin films underwent spinodal decomposition at 900°C by annealing. The variation of the 2theta value of the 202 reflection of (Ti_0.5Sn_0.5)O₂ films showed the typical behavior of spinodal decomposition. The rate of spinodal decomposition of the (Ti_0.5Sn_0.5)O₂ films on sapphire (11     0) was faster than that on sapphire (01     2) substrates. The characteristic modulated microstructure was observed for the spinodally decomposed (Ti_0.5Sn_0.5)O₂ films on sapphire (01     2) substrates by transmission electron microscopy. (Ti_0.3Sn_0.7)O₂ films on sapphire (01     2) substrates were binodally decomposed during annealing at 1300°C.     

Preparation and Properties of Ternary Ti3AlC2 and its Composites from Ti–Al–C Powder Mixtures With Ceramic Particulates

A layered ternary carbide phase, Ti₃AlC₂, was synthesized by hot pressing from the starting materials of Ti, aluminum, and activated carbon at 1400°C for 2 h. Its composites were also fabricated through addition of micro-sized SiC and partially stabilized zirconia particulates to the pulverized Ti₃AlC₂ powders. The polycrystalline Ti₃AlC₂ ceramic obtained has a flexural strength of 172 MPa and a fracture toughness of 4.6 MPa·m^1/2, respectively. This compound is relatively soft (Vikers hardness of 2.7 GPa) and exhibits good electrical conductivity with an electrical resistivity of 8.2 μΩ·m. Both the Ti₃AlC₂/SiC and Ti₃AlC₂/ZrO₂ composites are superior to the monolithic Ti₃AlC₂ ceramic in strength, fracture toughness, and micro-hardness.     

Synthesis of New Nanocrystalline Titanium–Niobium Oxynitride Powders

New titanium–niobium oxynitride (Ti_{1− z} Nb _z O _x N _y ) powders were synthesized by ammonolysis of nanosized TiO₂/Nb₂O₅ composite powders at 700°–900°C for 5 h. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), chemical analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicated that the as-synthesized powders were pure cubic structures with sizes of 30–60 nm. With increasing value of z , XRD peaks of Ti_{1− z} Nb _z O _x N _y powders tended to shift toward low 2θ angle and the cell parameter showed a linear increase.     

Pyrolytic Conversion of Spherical Organo-silica Powder to Silicon Nitride under Nitrogen

Monodisperse, spherical Si₃N₄ powder composed of fine particulates was synthesized by pyrolyzing spherical organo-silica powder under nitrogen. The organo-silica powder was prepared by hydrolyzing a mixture of phenyltrimethoxysilane (PTMS) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) in a methanol solution of water and ammonia. The organo-silica powder consisted of 81.3 at.% silicon units derived from PTMS and 18.7 at.% silicon units derived from TEOS. During the pyrolysis under nitrogen, the organo-silica powder decomposed to a mixture of free carbon and silica, with an increase of the surface area, at 500°-600°C, followed by the formation of alpha-Si₃N₄, with ß-Si₃N₄ as a minor phase, at 1450° and 1500°C and ß-SiC at 1550°C. The pyrolyzed powders, which retained the spherical shape and monodispersity of the organo-silica powders, with a reduction in mean particle diameter, were composed of fine particulates that were ~40 nm in size.     

Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Synthesis of Yttrium-Doped Zirconia Powders

The feasibility of low-temperature synthesis of yttrium-doped zirconia (Y-ZrO₂) crystalline powders in aqueous solutions at lessthan equal to100°C has been evaluated, and the hydrothermal crystallization mechanism for Y-ZrO₂ powders also has been investigated. Coprecipitated (Y,Zr) hydroxide gel, mechanical mixtures of Y(OH)₃ and Zr(OH)₄ gel, and Y(OH)₃ gel have been reacted in boiling alkaline solutions. Coprecipitated (Y,Zr) hydroxide gel crystallized to cubic or tetragonal Y-ZrO₂ at pH 13.9. The yttrium content in the powder synthesized from coprecipitated (Y,Zr) hydroxide is consistent with the initial precursor solution composition, as expected from the similarity in solubility of Zr(OH)^-₅ and Y(OH)^-₄. A diffusionless mechanism for the transformation of the (Y,Zr) hydroxide gel to Y-ZrO₂ is proposed, and the phase stability in aqueous solution is discussed in terms of an in situ crystallization model. It is also demonstrated through thermodynamic arguments with experimental verification that the stable form of the Y-ZrO₂ at 25°C is the anhydrous phase, not the metal hydroxide as previously thought.