Synthesis of MgTa2O6 nano-powders by citrate sol–gel method

A sol–gel processing was used to synthesize MgTa2O6 nano-powders at a low temperature using Ta2O5 as starting materials. The decomposition of precursors, and the crystal structure and microstructure of the MgTa2O6 powders were characterized by DTA/TG, XRD and SEM techniques. The effects of the amount of citrate acid and pH values on the stability of sol–gel solution and microstructure of MgTa2O6 nano-powders were investigated. XRD and TG/DTA results show that the MgTa2O6 nano-powders can be synthesized at 900 °C, and non-stoichiometric ratio of Mg to Ta was required to form the single MgTa2O6 phase. The average particle sizes of MgTa2O6 powders range from 25 nm to 100 nm with different CA/Ta and pH values.