Synthesis microwave-assisted: fast method to obtain lithium-doped sodium titanate

In this work, the variation in the structural and electrical properties of lithium-doped sodium titanate, obtained from an ultrafast (15 min) microwave-assisted synthesis has been reported. X-ray diffraction and Rietveld analysis have been done to identify the present phases, their composition, and lattice parameters. Na 2 Ti 3 O 7 was identified as the major phase, while Na 2 Ti 6 O 13 was obtained as a secondary phase in all samples. The phase composition usually varies depending on the content of the doping element. In the sample with 0.5% lithium ions, an additional phase corresponding to NaLiTi 3 O 7 appeared. The microstructure of the ceramic samples showed an increase in the grains size and the appearance of small particles on the surface of the grains. This effect becomes more evident for the samples with 0.5% Li. Finally, the electrical properties of the ceramic samples studied were favored with an increase in doping and σ dc values of 1.94 × 10 − 5 S cm − 1 , 2.51 × 10 − 5 S cm − 1 , and 4.00 × 10 − 5 S cm − 1 were determined for Na 2 − x Li x Ti 3 O 7 with x = 0.0%, 0.1%, 0.5% of Li + .