Nanocrystalline PbTiO3 powders from an amorphous Pb–Ti–O precursor by mechanical activation

Mechanical activation is investigated for its efforts in triggering PbTiO3 nanocrystallites from an amorphous Pb–Ti–O precursor, which was synthesized by co-precipitation. In this study, the amorphous precursor and the compositions that were subjected to mechanical activation for various time periods were investigated using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A single perovskite PbTiO3 phase was readily formed in the amorphous Pb–Ti–O precursor by mechanical activation, where a nanocrystalline feature is retained.