Synthesis and characterization of nanocrystalline strontium titanate through a modified combustion method and its sintering and dielectric properties

Strontium titanate (SrTiO3) nanoparticles have been synthesized through a modified single step combustion process for the first time. The X-ray diffraction studies of SrTiO3 nanoparticles have shown that the as-prepared powder was single phase, crystalline, and has a cubic perovskite structure (ABO(3)) with a lattice constant a = 3.903 angstrom. The particle size calculated from FWHM was similar to 22 nm. SrTiO3 nanopowderwas examined using thermo gravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The transmission electron microscopic investigations have shown that the particle size of the as-prepared powder has a mean size of 34 nm. The nanoparticles of SrTiO3 obtained by the present combustion method were sintered to 98% of the theoretical density at a relatively lower temperature of 1350 degrees C for 3 h. The dielectric constant (epsilon) and loss factor (tan delta) at ofthe sintered SrTiO3 pellets at 5 MHz measured at room temperature were 281 and 6 x 10(-4) respectively. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.