Synthesis of strontium cerates-based perovskite ceramics via water-soluble complex precursor routes

Strontium cerates-based ceramic powders, SrCe1−xMxO3−α (x=0.05, M=Yb, Y, In, Ga, La) containing a single perovskite phase have been synthesized via water-soluble complex precursor routes using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), citric acid or glycine as a chelating ligand. The effects of the chelating agent on the synthesis and the evolution of crystalline phase as well as the characteristics of ceramic powders have been investigated in detail. Experimental results indicate that a sintering temperature of 950–1000 °C, which is much lower than that for the conventional solid state reaction process, is sufficient to the formation of clean single perovskite phase. The amount of chelating ligand needed for preparing ceramic powders decreases in the order: citric acid method>glycine method>EDTA method. The particle size of ceramic powders increases with increasing the sintering temperature. Citric acid is a more effective chelating ligand than EDTA and glycine in producing fine ceramic powder with a temperature lower than 1000 °C.