Facile Synthesis of BaTiO3 Nanocubes with the Use of Anatase TiO2 Nanorods as a Precursor to Titanium Hydroxide

We report a solvothermal method for the facile and reproducible synthesis of BaTiO3 nanocubes by employing anatase TiO2 nanorods as a precursor to titanium hydroxide. The TiO2 nanorods were, in turn, synthesized in advance through another solvothermal process. We could obtain high-quality BaTiO3 nanocubes by reacting the TiO2 nanorods with Ba(NO3)2 under solvothermal conditions in the presence of oleic acid and acetic acid as dual capping agents, followed by a purification process involving chemical washing and physical filtration. The addition of acetic acid alongside oleic acid was critical to the formation of well-defined {100} facets on the nanocrystals and also increased batch-to-batch reproducibility without the use of a glove box or similar air-free experimental design. Using this method, BaTiO3 nanocubes crystallized in the cubic phase could be readily obtained with an average edge length around 8 nm.

Duke Scholars

Author Miaofang Chi Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materia ...