Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol.86, No.9, 1464-1467, 2003
Synthesis of bismuth sodium titanate nanosized powders by solution/sol-gel process
(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3 (BNT) is a prominent candidate for a lead-free piezoelectric material. In this study, BNT was synthesized using the solution/sol-gel method, in which a solution of Bi2O3 and Na2CO3 was dissolved in HNO3 as starting materials. The solution then was mixed with ethylene glycol and titanium tetraisopropoxide. The obtained BNT powder was analyzed using FT-IR, DTA-TG, Raman spectroscopy, and high-temperature XRD. Results showed that BNT crystallization occurred above 600degreesC. TEM investigation showed that 100-200 nm BNT particles were formed by heat-treating the sol-gel-derived BNT sol at 700degreesC for 6 h.