Surfactant-free fabrication of CaTiO3 butterfly-like dendrite via a simple one-step hydrothermal route

Single-crystalline calcium titanate (CaTiO3) with novel butterfly-like dendrites, flower-like microsphere and prism-like morphologies were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. No surfactants or templates were involved in the shaping process. The individual CaTiO3 dendrite consists of a long central trunk with symmetry aligned branches, which preferentially grow along the < 210 > directions. A series of morphology evolutions of CaTiO3 have been observed based on SEM observations. The growth mechanism for the CaTiO3 dendrite is proposed to be a three-step growth model: initial nucleation and ripening, an oriented self-assembly accompanied by Ostwald ripening, and subsequent diffusion-controlled process of "dissolution". The NaOH concentration and water/ethanol mixture solvent are crucial for the formation of the dendrite structure.