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.