Rapid Crystallization by Microwave Heating for Barium Strontium Titanate Powders Prepared using Slow-Rate Sol-Gel Technique

In this research work, different compositional ratios of barium strontium titanate [BST] powders have been prepared using slow-rate gellification by sol-gel route and ex-situ microwave heating method. The finely grinded powders prepared were analyzed using thermo gravity analysis [TGA], differential thermal analysis [DTA] and characterized by X-ray diffractometer [XRD]. TGA result shows that the organic solvents and unwanted impurities were removed at 117.89degC and decomposition of carbonate took place at 205.19degC. In addition, the material for 0.5 M ratio of Barium acetate and strontium acetate and 1 M of titanium iso-propoxide started crystallization at 438.93degC to yield BST. From the DTA results, it was found that when the microwave heating time was increased from 10 minutes to 25 minutes, the temperature at which endothermic reaction occurs has been shifted to lower values from 100degC to 83.413degC. These values matched those of the TGA results. The crystalline size was estimated from FWHM result to be in the range of 70 nanometer. The major peaks in the XRD analysis of the sample correspond to (100), (110), (111) and (200) were obtained for BST and agreed with American standard for test measurement [ASTM] data. The materials exhibited polycrystalline pattern with "d" values that matched with standard reports.