Structural Reconstruction of Hydrothermally Grown BaTiO₃ Nanoparticles Based on High-Resolution Synchrotron Powder X-ray Diffraction

Barium titanate (BaTiO₃) is a versatile material for industrial and research purposes owing to its various and excellent properties, including its ferroelectricity. The demand for ultrafine BaTiO₃ nanoparticles via a robust synthesis route capable of mass production, such as hydrothermal reactions, has increased owing to the rapid advancement of highly integrated electronic components. In this study, BaTiO₃ nanopowders smaller than 150 nm are synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method to obtain ultrafine and highly uniform nanoparticles. The synthesized nanopowders are analyzed via high-resolution synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction experiments. Based on Rietveld refinement studies, a three-phase composite model is shown to be reasonable for investigating the nanopowders. The analytical results are summarized in detail for a set of BaTiO₃ nanopowders. Nanoparticles are reconstructed based on the thicknesses obtained from the calculated phase weight fractions for each case.