Preparation of BaZrO3 cubes by composite-hydroxide-mediated approach at low temperature

Abstract

Barium zirconate (BaZrO3) was prepared by a low-temperature composite-hydroxide-mediated (CHM) approach. The synthesis was performed using zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) and barium hydroxide (Ba(OH)2) as starting materials and a mixture of anhydrous hydroxides with NaOH and KOH as the reaction medium at 170–230°C for 18 h. Measurement by X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the presence of perovskite BaZrO3 particles and indicated that the lattice of the obtained BaZrO3 was cubic. The amount of BaZrO3 increased as the reaction temperature increased. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation revealed that the BaZrO3 particles were cube shaped, with side lengths of 50–240 nm and sharp-edged corners. It was found that small-scale BaZrO3 cubes could be shaped from ZrO2 and Ba(OH)2.