Effect of barium titanate seed particles on the sintering and lattice parameters in PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3 ceramics

PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3 (PMN) powder was prepared by citrate organic solution, and barium titanate (BT) seed particles were added to encourage the perovskite phase formation. Sintering was followed using the constant heating rate mode of a dilatometer, and it was observed that the seed concentration affected the PMN shrinkage rate and crystal structure. The study of the lattice parameters of the samples after the sintering process indicates that the diffusion of the titanium and of the barium inside perovskite and pyrochlore PMN phases occurs. Moreover, this substitution provoked a decrease of the lattice parameters as showed by the Rietveld refinement.