Soft chemistry synthesis of the perovskite CaCu3Ti4O12

The perovskite CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCT) has been obtained after calcination of oxalate precursors at 900–1000 °C in air. Those precursors are prepared using a soft chemistry method, the coprecipitation. The oxalate powders consist of disk-like particles of 2–3 μm diameter and 300–400 nm thickness. By varying the ratio of the initial amounts of metal chlorides, additional phases (CaTiO3, TiO2 and CuO) could be obtained besides CCT. The corresponding multiphased ceramics present improved dielectric properties.