Comparison of synthesis methods, crystal structure and characterization of strontium cobaltite powders

Hexagonal perovskite-type strontium, SrCoOx, powders were synthesized via two different solution methods: polymerized complex (PC) method based on citrate process and chemical co-precipitation (CCP) method, respectively. The single-phase, microcrystalline homogeneous SrCoOx powders were synthesized successfully using the polymerized complex technique at a lower temperature (800 °C) for 10 h in static air, compared with chemical co-precipitation technique. The formation process, the structure and homogeneity of the obtained powders have been investigated by thermogravimety, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scan electron microscopy (SEM) measurement. The reflections of the powders obtained were indexed on the space group P63/mmc (194) with lattice parameter a = 5.486 ± 0.006 Å and c = 4.20 ± 0.06 Å via analysis using the Rietveld method. The average size of SrCoOx powder by PC method at 800 °C for 10 h is about 250 nm. SEM exhibits SrCoOx powders were of homogenous in distribution of the size and the shape.