Preparation of potassium lithium niobate powders with low Li content via the Pechini method

Potassium lithium niobate (KLN) ceramic powders with low Li content have been synthesized by using the Pechini method. The composition of the powder can be written as K2.95Li1.38Nb6.22O17, which contains relatively fewer Li ions than K3Li2Nb5O15 powder. The thermal decomposition of the precursor gel has been studied by TG–DTA and the products calcined at different temperatures have been characterized by XRD and TEM. It is concluded that the K2.95Li1.38Nb6.22O17 powders, about 50 nm sized and uniformly shaped, are obtained through the calcination of the precursor gel at 900 °C for 2 h. The difference between the powder composition and starting composition is caused by the volatile loss of the lithium during high-temperature heat treatment. The control of pH value and the molar ratio of citric acid/metal cations of the precursor solution is important to obtain clear K–Li–Nb precursor solution and gel.