Organic crystals: More than simple additives toward better electroceramic materials

Roles of various organic crystals (OC), notably those containing nitrogen, on the preparation and properties of source materials for electroceramics are featured from the author’s own experimental studies. When OC are intimately mixed with metal salts like carbonates, their decomposition is accelerated, liberating the diffusing species at temperatures lower than usual. Mixing of OC with metal oxides under mechanical stressing results in anion exchange and eases diffusion of guest species. Case studies on 3 categories, i.e. i) substitution of oxygen in titania with nitrogen and introduction of oxygen vacancies during co-grinding titania with urea, glycine and/or polytetra fluoroethylene; ii) increase in the rate of reaction of barium titanate formation via a solid state route by OCs with detailed process analysis with glycine as an example of OC, and iii) phase pure solid state synthesis of Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 by mechanically activating the intermediate, Li 2 TiO 3 with 3 amino acids as OCs.