A simple and controllable hydrothermal route for the synthesis of monodispersed cube-like barium titanate nanocrystals

Monodispersed BaTiO₃ (barium titanate) nanocrystals with well-controlled size have been successfully prepared via a simple hydrothermal route. The phase structure, morphology and surface composition of the BaTiO₃ nanocrystals are characterized by means of XRD, TEM, FTIR and TGA. Results demonstrate that the synthesized products consist of cube-like nanocrystals with a size of 5-15 nm, which can be well-controlled by tuning the Ba/Ti molar ratio in the starting materials, and that the amount of the organic capping agents on the surface of BaTiO₃ nanocrystals is about 32 wt%. The present simple synthesis route would provide a general strategy for the preparation of other perovskite-type nanocrystals.