The phase stability of Zn2Ti3O8

The ZnO-TiO2 phase diagram is well established for temperatures above 1000 °C. At lower temperatures, there is an uncertainty about the ranges of stability of three zinc titanate compounds, Zn2TiO4, ZnTiO3, and Zn2Ti3O8. In particular, there is controversy over whether Zn2Ti3O8 is a stable or a metastable compound. In the research described here, the results of prior investigators was confirmed, in that isothermal treatments gave different phase compositions with different starting materials of that same composition. However, by carrying out cyclical chemical transformation experiments, it was concluded that Zn2Ti3O8 is a stable compound at temperatures up to approximately 800 °C.