The synthesis and characterisation of nanocrystalline lithium niobate

Nanocrystalline LiNbO3 powder with grain sizes below 10 nm have been successfully prepared using wet chemical techniques, namely the polymer precursor method (and variations of it) and a double alkoxide sol-gel method. These have grain sizes of 4.5 nm and 1.6 nm respectively which, as far as we are aware, are the smallest nanocrystals of LiNbO3 produced to date. The materials have been characterised using Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy (EXAFS) and X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) and compared to samples prepared by High-Energy Ball Milling, which have also been characterised by these techniques.