Synthesis and Characterization of Nanoparticles of Ba₂PrSbO₆: A Complex Perovskite Material

Nanoparticles of barium praseodymium antimony oxide were synthesized using a modified self-propagating single step combustion method. The X-ray diffraction and electron diffraction studies have shown that the as-prepared powder is single-phase, crystalline and has a complex cubic perovskite structure with a lattice constant a = 8.567 Å. The transmission electron microscopic investigation reveals that the particle size of the as-prepared powder is in the range 20 – 40 nm with a mean grain size of 30 nm. The sample is characterized using differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy also. The chemical nonreactivity of Ba₂PrSbO₆ with YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ makes it an ideal substrate for YBa₂Cu₃O_7-δ super conductors.

PACS Codes: 73.63.Bd, 61.10.Nz, 68.37.Lp