Effect of neodymium substitution on the growth of single crystalline Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ particles

Neodymium (Nd)-substituted Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ single crystalline particles are prepared by molten-salt synthesis in NaCl-KCl flux using amorphous Bi_4-xNd_xTi₃O₁₂ precursors. X-ray diffraction results indicate that pure bismuth titanate phase is obtained in molten-salt flux and the unit-cell of bismuth titanate shows a slight shrinkage with Nd substitution. Well-dispersed single crystalline particles with a plate-like morphology are revealed by SEM images. The average particle sizes decrease with increasing Nd content, which may be associated with the alteration of surface energy of single crystalline platelets by the substitution of Nd³⁺ ions into Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ lattice.