X-ray, scanning electron microscopy and electrical properties of synthetic fresnoite (Ba2TiSi2O8) ceramics

Polycrystalline ceramic samples of fresnoite (Ba 2 TiSi 2 O 8 or BTS) have been prepared by a standard solid-state reaction method using high-purity oxides and carbonates. For one set of compounds, in stoichiometric ratio BaCO 3 , TiO 2 and SiO 2 were melted at 1300°C and then sintered into pellet form, whereas the other set of compounds have been prepared without melting and sintered into pellet form at 1250°C. The formation of the single-phase compound and its structural parameters were investigated by X-ray diffraction followed by Rietveld refinement and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) techniques. A better agreement between the observed and calculated X-ray diffraction patterns was obtained by performing the Rietveld refinement with a structural model using the non-centrosymmetric space group P4bm. A better agreement between observed and calculated d-values shows that the lattice parameters calculated using the Rietveld refinement analysis are better than that of the earlier report so far. The activation energies of both compounds were calculated by measuring its dc electrical conductivities. The results are discussed in detail.