Synthesis and Characterization of Single-Crystalline BaTi2O5 Nanowires

Large-scale single-crystalline BaTi2O5 nanowires were synthesized using BaC2O4 center dot H2O and TiO2 powders as precursors by a simple molten salt method. The as-synthesized BaTi2O5 nanowires were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that the BaTi2O5 nanowires are single crystalline with the preferred growth direction of [011]. The phase evolution of the synthesis process has been investigated. Local piezoresponse force measurements indicate that the BaTi2O5 nanowires have switchable polarization at room temperature.