Coprecipitated BaTiO3-based powders formulated from catechol coordination compounds

The chelate energy of catechol to small cations can be exploited to produce molecularly substituted coordination compound precursors for formulated dielectric powders. Thus, solid solution (Ba1-xSrx)(Ti1-yZry)O3 is readily obtained upon a single calcination from (Ba1-xSrx)(Ti1-yZry)O(C6H4O2)2. Crystallization of this precursor both fixes the stoichiometry of A to B ions (ABO3) at unity and reduces impurity ions. The control of the calcination exotherm is critical in determining the physical properties of average particle size of ∼0.5 μm and surface areas of 4-6 m2/g. For a Ba0.82Sr0.18Ti0.90Zr0.10O3 composition, dielectric values of 30,000 at 50 degrees C were obtained on large grain microstructures