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DESIGN, ASSEMBLY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF COMPOSITE ...

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2.1. Materials System<br />

CHAPTER 2 BACKGROUND<br />

Barium titanate (BT) and nickel (Ni) powders with particle size around 1 µm are<br />

the chosen materials for the fabrication of composite structures. The material selection is<br />

based on their commercial availability and practical applications, and processing<br />

requirements of the Robocasting technique. Some basic information for these two<br />

materials is provided in the following paragraphs.<br />

BT is a solid solution of BaO and TiO2 with a chemical formula BaTiO3 and a<br />

perovskite structure, as illustrated in Figure 2.1. The Ba 2+ and O 2− ions together form a<br />

face-centered cubic lattice, with Ti 4+ ions sitting in the octahedral interstices. Below<br />

Curie temperature of around 125 °C, spontaneous alignment of the electric dipoles<br />

resulting from off-centered Ti 4+ ions causes ferroelectricity. BT is primarily used as a<br />

dielectric material in ceramic capacitors. As a piezoelectric material, it has been largely<br />

replaced by lead zirconate titanate (PZT) in sensor and actuator applications. In the<br />

biomedical field, it is considered a biocompatible material and has been studied both in<br />

vitro and in vivo as implants. Colloidal processing of BT powder has been widely<br />

practiced in non-aqueous tape casting and screen printing of multilayer ceramic<br />

capacitors (MLCCs).<br />

5

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