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℃) 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.