Thermal decomposition of barium titanate precursor prepared by a wet chemical method

As a part of fundamental study on the kinetics of electroceramics processing by wet chemical methods, barium titanate precursor gel was prepared using barium acetate and titanium tetra‐isopropapoxide as starting materials. Experimental results indicated that barium acetate was distributed uniformly in the gel matrix formed by hydrolysis and polymerization of titanium tetra‐isopropoxide. In the subsequent calcination of the gel, rapid formation of barium titanate was observed above 823 K, which resulted from the reaction between titania and barium carbonate or barium oxide(s). The dynamics of barium titanate formation under different heat‐up programs was successfully simulated based on a proposed reaction model that incorporates a specified reactive portion of barium acetate in the gel matrix.