Synthesis of crystalline perovskite-structured SrTiO3 nanoparticles using an alkali hydrothermal process

We report an experimental route for synthesizing perovskite-structured strontium titanate (SrTiO3) nanocubes using an alkali hydrothermal process at low temperatures without further heating. Furthermore, we studied the influence of heating time (at 180°C) on the crystallinity, morphology, and perovskite phase formation of SrTiO3. The SrTiO3 powder, which is formed via nanocube agglomeration, transforms into cubic particles with a particle size of 120–150 nm after 6 h of hydrothermal sintering. The crystallinity and percentage of the perovskite phase in the product increased with heating time. The cubic particles contained 31.24at% anatase TiO2 that originated from the precursor. By varying the weight ratio of anatase TiO2 used to react with the strontium salt precursor, we reduced the anatase-TiO2 content to 18.8at%. However, the average particle size increased when the anatase-TiO2 content decreased.