Polymer-Assistant Hydrothermal Synthesis of 2.6 nm-Sized Lead Zirconate Titanate Nanoparticles

Abstract

A facile synthesis route for monodispersed lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanoparticles was developed by simple hydrothermal reactions under the assistance of polymer blend including polyvinylalcohol (PVA) and polyacrylate acid (PAA). It was found that PZT particles with an average size of 2.6 nm as well as a very narrow size distribution could be obtained with a 19.0 g/L polymers solution under a low KOH concentration of 2 mol/L at 200 °C for 14 h, indicating that the polymer additives played an important role in controlling the morphology and size of PZT crystals. The simple polymer-assistant hydrothermal synthesis is feasible for the mass production of PZT nanoparticles and is expected to be used in the miniaturization of electronic devices.