Relative low-temperature synthesis of lead titanate (PbTiO3) whiskers via flux method

Well dispersive and single-crystal lead titanate (PbTiO₃) whiskers were successfully synthesised by sintering lead acetate and titanium dioxide with improvement of adding potassium chloride as flux at a relatively low temperature. The starting materials were homogenised by different molar ratios and the as-prepared samples were pre-treated before characterising by X-ray diffraction, a scanning electron microscope and a transmission electron microscope. Comparison experiments indicated that the temperature and the amount of flux played an important role in determining the morphology and purity of the products. A liquid-solid growth mechanism is proposed for formation of PbTiO₃ whiskers.