Electrophoretic coagulation behavior of ferroelectric barium titanate powders in mixed solutions of alcohol and acetylacetone

Although the deposition of BaTiO3, known as a ferroelectric compound with spontaneous dipole moments, has never occurred in either propanol and acetylacetone, these mixtures were found to enhance the deposition of the powders on a cathode. The present study carried out the systematic investigation of the solution-mixing effect of propanol and acetylacetone on the electrophoretic deposition of BaTiO3. The optimum mixing ratio for the deposition was 50-70 vol% of propanol, while a depressed migration of BaTiO3 powders was observed in the mixed solutions. Therefore, it was considered that the enhanced deposition was attributed to the coagulation of the BaTiO3 powders on the cathode. The deposition characteristics varied with the kind of alcohol used showed that a more highly enhanced deposition was achieved with alcohols having longer side-chains such as octanol. An intertwinement between the side-chains in the alcohols was considered to have an effect on the coagulation of the BaTiO3 powders. (C) 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers.