Synthesis of barium-titanate by the sol-gel process

Homogeneous BaTiO3 gels were prepared by hydrolysis and polycondensation reactions between titanium isopropoxide and barium hydroxide in the presence of methoxyethanol, methanol and water. Gel formation mechanisms were investigated by Raman scattering spectrometry. Two drying methods are carried out: either in air with a possible formation of barium carbonate or in a vacuum furnace, sheltered from CO2. The influence of the drying method on texture is studied through nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm analyses. A heat treatment is deduced from thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry results. The influence of the calcining temperature on the texture and the crystallization of the solids has been measured. For the first time, the transformation at 900 degrees C from the cubic to the tetragonal form of BaTiO3 has been observed by polarization microscopy.