Sol-gel processing and characterization of potassium niobate nano-powders by an EDTA/citrate complexing method

The present research describes a modified sol-gel technique used to obtain nano-crystalline potassium niobate (KNbO₃) powders by using ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA)/citrate as a complexing agent. The metal ions chemically interact with EDTA in the precursor sol. The aging treatments lead to the formation of a precursor-polymeric gel network. The effects of the amounts of citric acid and EDTA on the stability of the precursor sol are investigated. The influence of excess K on the formation of pure-phase KNbO₃ powders is also studied. The obtained gels and powders are characterized by thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate that a stable precursor sol is formed when n(CA):n(Mⁿ⁺) = 3:1 and n(EDTA) :n(NH₄OH) = 1:3.5. The xerogel is calcined at 700–850 °C to prepare the KNbO₃ nano-powder. The smallest grain size of the sample obtained at 850 °C is about 60 nm when the K/Nb molar ratio equals 1.2.