Molten salt synthesis of 0.94(Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3-0.06BaTiO3powder

High quality ceramics require pure and agglomerate-free powders. In the present study, 0.94(Na1/2Bi1/2)TiO3-0.06BaTiO(3) (BNBT6) powders were prepared by molten salt synthesis (MSS) at 850 to 1100 degrees C. In the NaCl-KCl flux, a pure perovskite-phase BNBT6 powder was obtained at 850 degrees C with a grain size of below 100 nm, but the particles were highly aggregated. At I 100 degrees C, faceted single-crystalline particles were created with a size distribution around 1-3 mu m, which were very easily dispersed and agglomerate-free. The phase and composition of synthesized particles were also studied. With increasing synthesis temperature, the BNBT6 powders showed a trend from the (Na0.5Bi0.5)TiO3 feature of rhomboidal symmetry to a typical BNBT6 that featured both rhombohedral and tetragonal symmetry. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.