Facile Low Temperature Hydrothermal Synthesis of BaTiO3 Nanoparticles Studied by In Situ X-ray Diffraction

Exploration of anion effects in solvothermal synthesis using in situ X-ray diffraction

Solvothermal synthesis presents a facile and highly flexible approach to chemical processing and it is widely used for preparation of micro- and nanosized inorganic materials. The large number of synthesis parameters in combination with the richness of inorganic chemistry means that it is difficult to predict or design synthesis outcomes, and it is demanding to uncover the effect of different parameters due to the sealed and complex nature of solvothermal reactors along with the time demands related to reactor cleaning, sample purification, and characterization. This study explores the effect on formation of crystalline products of six common anions in solvothermal treatment of aqueous and ethanolic precursors. Three different cations are included in the study (Mn2+, Co2+, Cu2+) representing chemical affinities towards different regions of the periodic table with respect to the hard soft acid base (HSAB) classification and the Goldschmidt classification. They additionally belong to the commonly used 3d transition metals and display a suitable variety in solvothermal chemistry to highlight anion effects. The results of the solvothermal in situ experiments demonstrate a clear effect of the precursor anions, with respect to whether crystallization occurs or not and the characteristics of the formed phases. Additionally, some of the anions are shown to be redox active and to influence the formation temperature of certain phases which in turn relates to the observed average crystallite sizes.

A Fast, Low-Temperature Synthesis Method for Hexagonal YMnO3 : Kinetics, Purity, Size and Shape as Studied by In Situ X-ray Diffraction

The reaction mechanisms, phase development and kinetics of the hydrothermal synthesis of hexagonal-YMnO₃ from Y₂ O₃ and Mn₂ O₃ using in situ X-ray diffraction are reported under different reaction conditions with temperatures ranging from 300 to 350 °C, and using 1, 5 and 10 m KOH, and 5 m NaOH mineraliser. Reactions initiated with Y₂ O₃ hydrating to Y(OH)₃ , which then dehydrated to YO(OH). Higher temperatures and KOH concentrations led to faster, more complete dehydrations. However, 1 m KOH led to YO(OH) forming concurrently with Y(OH)₃ before Y(OH)₃ fully dehydrated but yielded a very low phase purity of hexagonal-YMnO₃ . Using NaOH mineraliser, no YO(OH) was observed. Dehydration also initiated at a higher temperature in the absence of Mn₂ O₃ . The evolution of Rietveld refined scale factors was used to determine kinetic information and approximate activation energies for the reaction. The described hydrothermal synthesis offers a fast, low-temperature method for producing anisometric h-YMnO₃ particles.

Perovskite Oxides Prepared by Hydrothermal and Solvothermal Synthesis: A Review of Crystallisation, Chemistry, and Compositions

Perovskite oxides with general composition ABO₃ are a large group of inorganic materials that can contain a variety of cations from all parts of the Periodic Table and that have diverse properties of application in fields ranging from electronics, energy storage to photocatalysis. Solvothermal synthesis routes to these materials have become increasingly investigated in the past decade as a means of direct crystallisation of the solids from solution. These methods have significant advantages leading to adjustment of crystal form from the nanoscale to the micron-scale, the isolation of compositions not possible using conventional solid-state synthesis and in addition may lead to scalable processes for producing materials at moderate temperatures. These aspects are reviewed, with examples taken from the past decade's literature on the solvothermal synthesis of perovskites with a systematic survey of B-site cations, from transition metals in Groups 4-8 and main group elements in Groups 13, 14 and 15, to solid solutions and heterostructures. As well as hydrothermal reactions, the use of various solvents and solution additives are discussed and some trends identified, along with prospects for developing control and predictability in the crystallisation of complex oxide materials.

Mapping the redox chemistry of common solvents in solvothermal synthesis through in situ X-ray diffraction

Solvothermal technology shows great promise in "green" materials synthesis, processing, and recycling. The outcome of a specific solvothermal reaction depends strongly on the solvent properties, and the versatility of solvothermal synthesis hinges on the very large changes in solvent properties as a function of temperature and pressure. Here, six simple 3d transition metal nitrate salts (Cu(ii), Ni(ii), Co(ii), Fe(iii), Mn(ii), Cr(iii)) were dissolved in five common solvents (water, ethanol, ethylene glycol, glycerol, and 10% hydrogen peroxide solution) and heated stepwise up to 450 °C at a pressure of 250 bar using an in situ reactor while X-ray scattering data was recorded. A range of crystalline phases were observed in the form of metallic phases, metal oxides, and other ionic compounds. These data by themselves provide simple recipes for synthesis of many technologically important 3d transition metal nanomaterials. However, more generally the oxidation states of the metals in the synthesized materials can be used to map the solvent redox properties under solvothermal conditions. It is found that glycerol and ethylene glycol are strongly reducing, ethanol is moderately reducing, while water is weakly oxidizing. The behavior of the hydrogen peroxide solution is more complex including both oxidization and reduction. Furthermore, it is observed that the reducing powers of ethanol, ethylene glycol, and glycerol are enhanced with increasing temperature. The mapping of the redox properties of these common solvents provides a method for tailoring a given reaction through choice of solvent and reaction temperature. Solvothermal processes represent an environmentally benign alternative to the use of toxic reducing agents in chemical reactions, and quantification of the redox chemistry is a first step in rational materials design.

TiO2-Seeded Hydrothermal Growth of Spherical BaTiO3 Nanocrystals for Capacitor Energy-Storage Application

Simple but robust growth of spherical BaTiO3 nanoparticles with uniform nanoscale sizes is of great significance for the miniaturization of BaTiO3-based electron devices. This paper reports a TiO2-seeded hydrothermal process to synthesize spherical BaTiO3 nanoparticles with a size range of 90–100 nm using TiO2 (Degussa) and Ba(NO3)2 as the starting materials under an alkaline (NaOH) condition. Under the optimum conditions ([NaOH] = 2.0 mol L−1, RBa/Ti = 2.0, T = 210 °C and t = 8 h), the spherical BaTiO3 nanoparticles obtained exhibit a narrow size range of 91 ± 14 nm, and the corresponding BaTiO3/polymer/Al film is of a high dielectric constant of 59, a high break strength of 102 kV mm−1, and a low dielectric loss of 0.008. The TiO2-seeded hydrothermal growth has been proved to be an efficient process to synthesize spherical BaTiO3 nanoparticles for potential capacitor energy-storage applications.