Synthesis of Lu2Ti2O7 nano-powders by salt modified sol–gel process

Nano-sized Lu2Ti2O7 powders have been prepared successfully by a chloride salt modified sol–gel process, by using tetrabutyl titanate and lutecium nitrate as precursors. The results indicate that salt precipitated during the synthesis process can form a thin layer of salt crust on the surface of the newly formed nano-particles and prevent re-agglomeration and hinder the particle growth resulting in well-dispersed Lu2Ti2O7 nano-crystals. However, the increased salt contents can also lead to the significant size increase of the formed particles. Meanwhile, different types of salt species differently affect on the particle morphologies. Based on the above observation, well-dispersed spherical Lu2Ti2O7 nano-crystals with an average particle size of about 50 nm can be obtained at 850 °C by the modified sol–gel process with precursor to NaCl ratio of 1:15.