Dispersion of nanoscale BaTiO3 suspensions by a combination of chemical and mechanical grinding/mixing processes

Abstract

The colloidal stability of aqueous nanometer- and micrometer-scale barium titanate (BaTiO3) utilizing poly (methacrylic acid) (PMAA-Na) and polyacrylamide/(alpha-N,N-dimethyl-N-acryloyloxyethyl)ammonium ethanate (PDAAE) was investigated. In addition to chemical dispersants, the effects of mechanical milling using either conventional ball milling or nanogrinding/-mixing on the dispersion of BaTiO3 suspensions were also studied. Characterization of the particle size distribution (d(50)), viscosity, and morphology of BaTiO3 particles in the suspensions revealed that a sole chemical dispersant or mechanical milling was insufficient to achieve nanometer-scale dispersion. The best dispersion results were obtained with a combination of PMAA-Na dispersant and nanogrinding/-mixing, which could provide sufficient electronic repulsive force and shear force to disperse the 80-nm BaTiO3 powders uniformly in the aqueous suspension. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.