Comparison of Ba(OH) 2 , BaO, and Ba as Starting Materials for the Synthesis of Barium Titanate by the Alkoxide Method

A discussion of the relative merits and problems of using Ba(OH) 2 , BaO, and Ba as starting materials for the synthesis of barium titanate by the alkoxide method is presented. The Ba(OH) 2 process is promising because it does not involve the synthesis of barium alkoxide, whereas the BaO (93% pure) process suffers from complex chemical reactions; the impurities in BaO cause unknown effects on the composition and properties of the final ceramic. Use of high‐purity Ba metal (99.99%) for the synthesis of barium alkoxide is more desirable since it results in high‐purity, ultrafine barium titanate powders.