Synthesis of Porous Barium Titanate Using Emulsification Techniques

Porous ceramic materials are widely used as heat insulators, filters, and spacers. However, the shape, diameter and distribution of pores in these materials are not controlled precisely. Porous ceramic materials are used not only as structural materials but also as functional materials. In this study, porous BaTiO3 ceramics were synthesized. A porous structure was obtained by sintering of spheres. The spheres were obtained using emulsification techniques. Ba-Ti mixed alkoxide was used as BaTiO3 precursor. The alkoxide was dissolved in toluene-IPA (2-PrOH). PVB was then dissolved in this solution to aid the formation of spheres and to control the rate of hydrolysis. Water was dispersed in this solution to obtain a W/O emulsion. This W/O emulsion was redispersed in water to obtain a [(W/O)/W] emulsion. The [(W/O)/W] emulsion-derived spheres were dried and sintered. The sintered bodies consisted of spheres which were linked together, and open pores which were due to voids between packed spheres.