Characteristics of Ce3+-doped barium titanate nanoshell tubes prepared by template-mediated colloidal chemistry

5 mol% Ce3+-doped barium titanate nanoshell tubes were prepared via sol-gel method using as template a polycarbonate membrane with channels of 200 nm diameter. FE-SEM analyses showed that continuous and uniform green tubes with length up to 15 μm, an average outer diameter of 188.6 nm and wall thickness of 15.1 nm, were obtained. After calcination at 700 °C for 1 h, these amorphous 1D nanostructures were converted into polycrystalline tubes with an average outer diameter of 157.4 nm and a grain size of 43.4 nm, as high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) indicated. Thermo-Raman investigations pointed out diffuse phase transitions, inducing the preservation of a stable polar state at higher temperatures (up to 200 °C). Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) investigations on 5 mol% Ce3+-doped BaTiO3 nanoshell tubes revealed ferroelectric and piezoelectric behaviour which recommends these tubes for microelectronic devices.