Fabrication of BaTiO3-Carbon Nanocomposite and Porous BaTiO3

A novel nanocomposite was fabricated by introducing BaTiO3 into mesoporous carbon CMK-3 with hexagonal porous structure and pore size around 3.4 nm. Nanosized BaTiO3 crystallites were fully dispersed and confined in the channels of CMK-3. This is the first combination of conventional ferroelectrics with newly developed mesoporous carbon materials. Furthermore, the carbon matrix was thermally removed in oxygen atmosphere to form unique nanoporous structures with the framework of crystalline BaTiO3. The particle morphology evolution from CMK-3 to BaTiO3-CMK-3, and then to porous BaTiO3, was followed by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM). Although this work was aimed at preparation, the present nanocomposite of conductive amorphous carbon and insulate crystalline ferroelectrics, as well as the nanoporous BaTiO3, are expected to have interesting properties in areas such as power storage, microwave adsorbing, and gas sensor.