β-BaB2O4 nanometric powder obtained from the ternary BaO–B2O3–TiO2 system using the polymeric precursor method

The polymeric precursor method was employed for the first time to synthesize β-BaB2O4 (β-BBO) nanometric powder from the ternary BaO–B2O3–TiO2 system. The powder samples, containing 4, 8 and 16% in mole of titanium oxide and annealed from 330 to 750 °C for varying lengths of time, were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The addition of titanium oxide to the BaO–B2O3 system accelerated the decomposition process, reducing the powder’s crystallization and melting temperatures. The β-BBO phase was found to be main phase in the sample containing 4% of titanium and heat-treated at 700 °C for 2 h. This temperature was lower than that of the powder sample without titanium oxide. The β-BBO phase in a powder form obtained from the sample containing 4% of titanium can be used as a source to prepare thin films of the β-BBO phase using different physical methods of thin films deposition. Moreover, the precursor solution of this powder can be used to obtain β-BBO thin films by spin-coating technique.