Water-dispersible and ferroelectric PEGylated barium titanate nanoparticles

Abstract

Dispersions of ferroelectric nanoparticles in aqueous medium can find promising applications in electro-optical, medical, and smart fluid technologies. In this report, we show the development of highly dispersed nano-sized ferroelectric barium titanate (BaTiO₃) powders with high dielectric constant prepared using a simple, one-step low temperature solution method. The surface of these tetragonal-structured nanoparticles were modified with poly(ethylene glycol) as a stabilizer and dispersant. The crystal structure, morphology and dielectric constant of samples are discussed in detail. The colloidal stability and surface behavior of these PEGylated barium titanate nanoparticles are studied by means of ζ-potential and dynamic light scattering measurements. We show changing the reaction conditions allows to tune the nanoparticle size. This research promotes a pathway to develop advanced ferroelectric nanomaterials with engineered properties in a simple way.