Solvent Free Production of Alkaline Earth Metal Titanates folr Electronics Applications

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project focuses on (1) Development and optimization of a continuous, easily scalable , and economical green manufacturing process for production of barium titanate (BaTiO3); (2) Characterization and control of physical and chemical properties of the titanate material for improved electronic properties; and (3) Development of a commercially viable product including establishment of associated procedures and processes per ISO 9001-2000 quality system. This effort is critically needed in order to develop commercially viable nanocrystalline barium titanate for applications in an increasing electronics market. As demonstrated during the Phase I Research, nanocrystalline titanate can be produced using a solvent free solid reaction. During the Phase II effort the methodology developed in the Phase I will be utilized to produce the material at the pilot scale. In addition, pilot scale production using a second method, investigated after the Phase I research completion, will also be carried out. This synthetic method utilizes a small amount of solvent, but allows for a precise control over the crystal properties of the titanate product. Base on cost and performance, one of these two methods will be selected for development of a commercial barium titanate product.

The commercial application of the barium titanate is broad and spans a number of significant markets including (1) multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), (2) electro-optic devices, (3) capacitor material in small portable machines and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), (4) thermistor, (5) military uses and (6) medical applications. These market applications, representing an initial subset of the ever expanding market opportunities for titanate materials, are currently being evaluated and the most promising ones will be pursued by NanoScale and its collaborative industry partners.

Keywords: Barium titanate, nanocrystalline, pilot-production, solvent-free, sol-gel, alkaline earth metal titanate, titanate, electro-ceramic, capacitor, dielectric