Preparation of Perovskite Pb(Mg _1/3 Nb _2/3 )0 ₃ Using Pb ₃ Nb ₂ 0 ₈ and MgO

Abstract

The synthesis of perovskite Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 from an equimolar mixture of Pb 3 Nb 2 0 8 and MgO was studied by solid‐state reaction techniques. An addition of 1 wt% excess MgO to the stoichiometric composition enhances the formation of the cubic perovskite phase. The absence of free PbO in the initial starting materials minimizes the volatilization loss during firing, thereby reducing the possibility of any compositional change and resulting in a substantial improvement of the perovskite phase purity over the conventional mixed‐oxide processing.