Effect of the grain size and chemical features on the phase transition and physical characteristics of nano-grained BaTiO3 ceramics

Nano-grained BaTiO3 ceramics were synthesized by sintering BaTiO3 nano-powders; these powders were coated with Mn-materials. The phase transition and physical features of the BaTiO3 ceramics were investigated as a function of the sintering temperature and the amount of coating materials. With increasing the sintering temperature and/or the amount of the coating materials, the formation of a tetragonal phase was increased; this seems to be due to grain growth and grain boundary chemical features. The relation of the dielectric features of the nano-grained BaTiO3 ceramics with the structural variation is discussed in terms of process parameters. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.