Synthesis of fine-grain Ba0.96La0.04TiO3 dielectric ceramics by different routes for multilayer ceramic capacitors

Spherical Ba0.96La0.04TiO3 powders were synthesized by a wet chemical method-based on a precipitation process, able of controlling uniformity and particle size. After sintering, fine-grain Ba0.96La0.04TiO3 ceramics with good dielectric properties were obtained. Different synthesis routes of Ba0.96La0.04TiO3 ceramics were used, and their effects on microstructure and dielectric properties were examined. Results showed that the ceramics samples prepared by La3+ and Ba2+ added together (abbreviated as, BLT-T) resulted in a mixture of large and small grains, sharp permittivity peaks, and high dielectrics loss. By comparison, another ceramics samples prepared by La3+ and Ba2+ added separately (BLT-S) exhibited uniform grain size and broadened/flattened permittivity peaks. The high value of εr (3255) and low tan δ (0.01) at room temperature and negligible temperature coefficient of capacitance from − 35 to 85 °C suggested the suitability of the above materials for multilayer capacitor applications.