XRD and EDX Analyses on the Formation of MgTiO3 Phase in (Mg0.6Zn0.4)(Ti0.99Sn0.01)O3 Powders Due to Calcination Temperature Variations

Abstract

Abstract MgTiO3-based dielectric ceramics have been recognized as functional materials in the microwave telecommunications industry. Research and development on MgTiO3 dielectric ceramics has therefore developed rapidly. This paper reports x-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) analyses on the formation of MgTiO3 phase in (Mg0.6Zn0.4)(Ti0.99Sn0.01)O3 powder due to variations in calcination temperature from 550 to 700°C for 2 h. The powder was synthesized via the dissolved metal mixing course using magnesium, zinc, titanium and tin metal powders (Merck) as starting materials. The Rietveld refinement on the XRD patterns of the samples revealed that increasing the calcination temperature reduces the molar% content of MgTiO3 phase of from (97.91±1.51) at 550°C to (87.81±1.29) at 700 °C and causes a decrease in the diffraction peak intensity. The remaining % belongs to TiO2 rutile. The calcination temperature also enlarged the size of MgTiO3 unit cell volume. The EDX data on the atomic% ratio of the elements confirmed the presence of the phases. Discussion of these results is presented in detail in this paper.