Low-temperature synthesis of Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O-3 ceramics from Ba-Mg-Ta alkoxide precursor

BMT perovskite ceramics were synthesized at low temperature (similar to 100 degrees C) by chemical processing comprised of the hydrolysis of Ba-Mg-Ta alkoxide precursor. FT-IR and Raman spectroscopic studies of the Ba-Mg-Ta ethoxide precursor reveal that barium, magnesium, and tantalum ethoxides are bonded with each other via alkoxy bridging to form a trimetallic alkoxide. The hydrolysis of the Ba-Mg-Ta ethoxide with a large amount of water under refluxing results in the direct formation of a crystalline BMT phase with the pseudocubic perovskite structure at a low temperature of similar to 100 degrees C. The alkoxide-derived BMT powder has high sinterability to provide a high-density sintered body with a density of 94.0-98.0% at a low firing temperature of 1400 degrees C.