Synthesis of core–shell Cu@BaTiO3 conductive powders modified by gaseous rare-earth penetration

The Cu@BaTiO3 powders were synthesised by a simple low-cost hydrothermal method for the very first time. The effects of copper (Cu) contents on the formation of core(Cu)@shell(BaTiO3) powders have been investigated by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometer. Notably, the existence of Cu@BaTiO3 powders can only be obtained when Cu content happened to be 20%. A novel modification method, gaseous rare-earth penetration, has been adopted to reduce the resistivity and prepare Cu@BaTiO3 conductive powders. The results indicated that rare-earth penetration turned out an effective way to lower the resistivity of Cu@BaTiO3 powders significantly. Surprisingly, the core–shell structure of Cu@BaTiO3 powders has not perished after rare-earth penetration. Furthermore, the resistivity of Cu@BaTiO3 conductive powders turned out to be 8.30 × 10−4 Ω m, which can be a promising candidate for novel and environmental-friendly conductive powders.