Nanoparticles of SmBa₂HfO_5.5 through a single step auto‐igniting combustion technique and their characterization

Abstract

Abstract Samarium Barium Hafnium oxide (SmBa 2 HfO 5.5 ), a complex perovskite ceramic, was synthesized as nano‐ particles for the first time using an auto‐igniting combustion technique. Phase‐purity and particulate properties of the as‐prepared powder were studied using X‐ray diffraction, differential thermal and thermo gravimetric analyses, Fourier‐transform of infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction techniques. The X‐ray diffraction and electron diffraction studies have shown that the as‐prepared powder was single phase, crystalline, and has a complex cubic perovskite structure (A 2 BB′O 6 ) with a lattice constant a = 8.330 Å. The particle size calculated from FWHM is about 15 nm. The transmission electron microscopic investigation has shown that the particle size of the as‐prepared powder was in the range 20–30 nm with a mean grain size of 25 nm. The nano‐ particles of SmBa 2 HfO 5.5 obtained by the present method could be sintered to 99% of its theoretical density at 1600 °C. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)