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Metastable face-centered cubic lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT) nanocrystals synthesized by auto-ignition of metal–polymer gel

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Abstract

Nanocrystalline lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT) have been synthesized in powder form by a single-step auto-ignition of metal–polymer gel precursor. The nanocrystalline powders were characterized using analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM) equipped with an energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometer (EDXS) for composition analysis. For both PZT and PLZT, nanoparticles of sizes as low as 1–5 nm along with larger nanoparticles of sizes up to 30 nm are observed in the TEM. The selected-area diffraction (SAD) patterns from the nanoparticles revealed a face-centered cubic (fcc) crystal structure for both PZT and PLZT with a lattice parameter of ∼0.51 nm. The formation of PZT and PLZT nanoparticles of sizes below 5 nm with metastable fcc crystal structure has been observed for the first time. It is concluded that, as the crystal size decreases, the system assumes crystal structures of higher symmetry initially through small changes in lattice parameters and, in extreme cases, through chemical disorder for ultrafine nanoparticles.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Dr. K. Muraleedharan, as Group Head, Electron Microscopy Group, Defence Metallurigal Research Laboratory (DMRL), for his invaluable support and continuous encouragement to carry out this research work. The authors also thank Dr. A.M. Srirama Murthy, Director, DMRL, for his kind permission and encouragement to publish this work. Financial support from Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Ministry of Defence, India, is gratefully acknowledged

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  1. Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad, 500058, India

    Subir Roy, Sandip Bysakh & Jandhyala Subrahmanyam

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  1. Subir Roy
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  2. Sandip Bysakh
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  3. Jandhyala Subrahmanyam
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Correspondence to Subir Roy.

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Roy, S., Bysakh, S. & Subrahmanyam, J. Metastable face-centered cubic lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT) nanocrystals synthesized by auto-ignition of metal–polymer gel. Journal of Materials Research 23, 719–724 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2008.0099

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