The Synthesis and Domain Structures of Single-Crystal-Like Mesoscale BaTiO3 Plates

The (001) plate-like BaTiO3 piezoelectric micromaterials are synthesized by topochemical microcrystal conversion technique. BaTiO3 plates with a length of 2~10 μm and thickness of 0.5~1.3 μm are obtained. The dependence of morphology on synthesis conditions is discussed in detail. The crystal symmetry and multiscale domain structures of BaTiO3 plates are systematically investigated by various characterizations. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectra analyses demonstrate the tetragonal symmetry of the (001) oriented BaTiO3 plates at room temperature. The domain configurations of the micron BaTiO3 are investigated with a polarized light microscope (PLM) and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The single-crystal-like quality and uniformity are supported by PLM observations. More importantly, the classical 90° banded ferroelectric domains of ~125 nm width are observed for the first time in such BaTiO3 plates. The domain features in the mesoscale BaTiO3 plate are discussed and compared with its bulk counterparts. The results may provide insights into understanding and designing the mesoscale BaTiO3 functional materials.