Mechanochemical synthesis of Bi4Ti3O12

Our efforts were directed to the preparation of bismuth titanate - Bi4Ti3O12 (BIT) by mechanically assisted synthesis. The mechanical activation was applied to prepare bismuth titanate, Bi4Ti3O12, from bismuth oxide, Bi2O3, and titanium oxide, TiO2 (in an anatase crystal form). Mechanochemical synthesis was performed in a planetary ball mill in air atmosphere. Bismuth titanate ceramics was obtained by sintering at 1000 degrees C. The formation of Bi4Ti3O12 in the sintered samples was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. Scanning electron microscopy, SEM, was used to study the particle size and powder morphology. The obtained results indicate that Bi4Ti3O12 from the powder synthesized by high-energy ball milling exhibits good sinterability, showing advantage of the mechanochemical process over conventional solid-state reaction.