Tuning the morphology of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanostructures

We describe the synthesis of PZT nanoparticles using a hydrothermal method. We demonstrate that the morphology of the PZT nanoparticles can be controlled by tuning the concentration of the mineraliser, KOH. The experimental results show that for low concentrations of KOH (2 M) the reaction kinetics favor a high yield of spherical particles with an average diameter of 5.3 µm. However, higher concentrations of KOH lead to the formation of branched nanostructures containing up to 8 µm long nanorods. TEM and XRD investigations provide evidence that the branches are single crystalline. The influence of KOH concentration on polymer induced particle formation is discussed.