Strong-Acid-Catalyzed Formation of Crystalline LiNbO 3 at Low Ambient Temperatures.

A crystalline LiNbO 3 material was synthesized at 80 °C by an optimized sol-gel method using a double alkoxide alcoholic solution in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and strong acids. The same reaction in the presence of water or acetic acid resulted in amorphous powders with fewer impurities but which crystallized only at 450 °C and higher temperatures. The purity of the crystalline material obtained at 80 °C is strongly dependent on the Li/Nb molar ratio used for the reaction. It appears that the combination of strong acids with H 2 O 2 in air generates perfect conditions for the synthesis of low-temperature crystalline lithium niobate oxide derivatives and can be extended to various other metal oxides. The developed synthetic method opens the potential for the coating of low-melting-point conductive polymer materials with LiNbO 3 crystalline films.