Oleic acid mediated solvothermal synthesis of (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 nanoparticles

Abstract The non-stoichiometric crystallisation in (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3 (KNN) synthesis is addressed herein, by adopting a non-aqueous solvothermal procedure employing the alkoxides of sodium, potassium and niobium in 1-octadecene as solvent medium and oleic acid as capping agent. The complete transformation to orthorhombic phase of KNN, characterized by peak splitting at 2θ ~ 45°, occur at the low temperature of 600 °C in air, and the results are further verified by thermal and spectroscopic studies. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations showed size and shape controlled particles having average diameter of 50 nm. It is demonstrated that oleic acid mediated solvothermal synthesis is an excellent technique to fabricate nanosized complex perovskites including KNN.