Polar Oxide Nanopowders Prepared by Mechanical Treatments

Polar oxides represent a technologically important group of ceramic materials. Ferroelectric nanoparticles were embedded into polymer matrices to create nanocomposites, thus contributing to the increased performance of energy storage capacitors for portable electronics, stationary power systems, and hybrid electric vehicles. In general, the methods for the synthesis or preparation of inorganic nanoparticles can be classified into vapor-phase, liquid-phase, and solid-phase formation methods. This chapter describes the methods based on solid-phase formation using thermal and mechanical energy. It focuses on the characteristics of the individual methods, together with a review of the work conducted on different polar oxide systems. The chapter presents a case study, which demonstrates the application of both methods for the preparation of NaNbO3 nanoparticles. The preparation of nanoparticles by mechanical methods typically requires the use of high energy, which can be achieved by the use of either planetary or attrition mills.