Structural study of perovskite-type fine particles by synchrotron radiation powder diffraction

The crystal structures of BaTiO3 and PbTiO3 fine particles have been investigated by powder diffraction using synchrotron radiation high energy X-rays. It is revealed that a BaTiO3 fine particle essentially consists of tetragonal and cubic structure components at 300 K, whereas a PbTiO3 fine particle consists of a tetragonal structure. Adopting a structure model for the BaTiO3 particle that a cubic shell covers a tetragonal core, the thickness of cubic BaTiO3 shell is estimated at almost constant irrespective of particle sizes. Successive phase transitions are detected in 100 nm particles of BaTiO3 near the phase-transition temperatures of a bulk crystal. The changes in diffraction profiles are small, but they are apparent for a most up-to-date powder diffractometry.