Low-temperature preparation of Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 nanowhiskers by a sol-gel-hydrothermal method

Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NBT) nanowhiskers with diameters of 20 nm and lengths of 300 nm have been prepared at low temperature by using a sol-gel-hydrothermal technique, which combined the conventional sol-gel process and the hydrothermal method. The reaction conditions such as alkali concentration and temperature were investigated. The powders were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is believed that the gel precursor and hydrothermal environment play an important role in the formation of the nanowhiskers.