Nano-sized Ag–BaTiO3 composite powders with various amount of Ag prepared by spray pyrolysis

The preparation of precursors of BaTiO₃ nanopowders with various amounts of Ag by spray pyrolysis is reported. The precursor powders obtained with hollow and thin-wall particles are composed of uniformly dispersed Ba, Ti, and Ag components. After post-treatment and a simple milling process, the precursor powders, irrespective of the amount of Ag, are transformed into Ag–BaTiO₃ composite nanoparticles. The mean particle size of the Ag (10 mol%)–BaTiO₃ powders is 142 nm. BaTiO₃ pellets containing Ag exhibit dense structures even at a low sintering temperature of 1000 °C. BaTiO₃ pellets with 10 mol% Ag show the highest dielectric constant of 2950, as opposed to the pure BaTiO₃ pellets (without Ag), whose dielectric constant is 1827.