Preparation and characterization of ceramic fine powders produced by the emulsion process

A variety of uniform fine ceramic powders were prepared from an aqueous phase, dispersed in an oil emulsion matrix. Simple to complex compounds could easily be produced with nearly monosphere morphology, ranging between 200nm and 1000nm. The size and distribution of the emulsified spheres can be adjusted to a certain degree by the concentration of the salt in the aqueous solutions and by emulsification pressure. This process is quite versatile and ideal for preparing complex chemical compounds where stoichiometry and small dopant additives can have a significant effect on the sintering characteristics and corresponding physical and electrical properties. Among the materials that have been prepared and characterized are the following: Titanates - (BaTiO3, SrTiO3, BaTi4O9, Ba2Ti9O20) Doped Titanate - (Mn, La, BaTiO3) Oxides - (Al2O3, Nb2O5, Bi2O3, Mn2O3) High Temperature Superconductors - YBa2Cu3O7 The properties of some of these materials will be reported in the near future.