Influencing Factor Investigation on Dynamic Hydrothermal Growth of Gapped Hollow BaTiO(3) Nanospheres

Gapped hollow BaTiO(3) nanospheres with an apparent diameter of 93 ± 19 nm (shell thickness of 10–20 nm) were synthesized via a dynamic hydrothermal process using TiO(2) sols and Ba(2+) ions as the Ti and Ba sources in alkaline aqueous solutions. The phases and morphologies of the BaTiO(3) samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM, TEM, and Raman spectra. The effects of the hydrothermal temperatures and durations, NaOH concentrations, and Ba/Ti ratios on the formation of gapped hollow BaTiO(3) nanospheres were systematically investigated. The optimum conditions for forming gapped hollow BaTiO(3) nanospheres are hydrothermal treatment at 180 °C for 10–20 h under a continuous magnetic stirring with NaOH concentrations of about 1 mol/L and molar Ba/Ti ratios of 1.2–1.5. The formation mechanism of the gapped hollow BaTiO(3) nanospheres is understood as the combination of the orientated attachment and reversed crystal growth.