Formation of single-crystal SrTiO3 dendritic nanostructures via a simple hydrothermal method

Single-crystal SrTiO3 dendritic nanostructures were synthesized for the first time via a simple hydrothermal method without any surfactant. Structure characterizations suggest that the SrTiO3 dendrites show preferential orientation along [1 1 0]. Additionally, it is found that KOH concentration plays an important role in the formation of SrTiO3 dendrites, and the morphology of SrTiO3 crystallites can vary from cubic-like, star-like to dendritic shape. A rational mechanism is proposed to illustrate the growth of SrTiO3 dendrites.