Synthesis of fine powders of Li3xLa2/3-xTiO3 perovskite by a polymerizable precursor method

The synthesis of the perovskite Li0.3La0.566TiO3 by a Pechini-type polymerizable precursor method is described. TGA-DTA analysis was carried out on the precursors, and powder XRD analysis was performed on the final products obtained by heating the precursors over a temperature range from 600 to 900 degreesC during 2 h. Highly pure and crystalline powders were obtained by this method. The morphology of the powder after heating at 900 degreesC was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The determination of the grain size by an optical method shows the formation of small grains around 100 nm in size that aggregate. This chemical method allowed us to obtain well crystallized lithium lanthanum titanate (LLTO) at a much lower temperature and with a shorter synthesis time in comparison to the conventional solid-state reaction method.