Microwave Synthesis of Noncentrosymmetric BaTiO3 Truncated Nanocubes for Charge Storage Applications

Truncated nanocube of barium titanate (BT) were synthesized using a rapid, facile microwave-assisted hydrothermal route. Stoichiometric composition of pellets of nanocube BT powders was prepared by two-stage microwave process. Characterization by powder XRD, Rietveld refinement, SEM, TEM, and dielectric and polarization measurements was performed. X-ray diffraction revealed a polymorphic transformation from cubic Pm3m to retragonal P4mm after 15 min of microwave irradiation, arising from titanium displacement along the c-axis. Secondary electron images were examined for nanocube BT synthesis and annealed a different timings. Transformation electron microscopy showed showed a narrow particle size distribution with an average size of 70 +/- 9 nm. The remanence and saturation polarization were 15.5 +/- 1.6 and 19.3 +/- 1.2 mu C/cm(2), respectively. A charge storage density of 925 +/- 47 nF/cm(2) was obtained Pt/BT/Pt multilayer ceramic capacitor stact had an average leakage current density of 5.78 +/- 0.46 x 10(-8) A/cm(2) at +/- 2 V. The significance of this study shows an inexpensive and facile processing platform for synthesis of high-R dielectric for charge storage applications.