Trapping of different stages of BaTiO₃ reduction with LiH

We investigated the hydride reduction of tetragonal BaTiO₃ using LiH. The reactions employed molar H : BaTiO₃ ratios of 1.2, 3, and 10 and variable temperatures up to 700 °C. The air-stable reduced products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and ¹H magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. Effective reduction, as indicated by the formation of dark blue to black colored, cubic-phased, products was observed at temperatures as low as 300 °C. The product obtained at 300 °C corresponded to oxyhydride BaTiO_∼2.9H_∼0.1, whereas reduction at higher temperatures resulted in simultaneous O defect formation, BaTiO_2.9- H_0.1□ , and eventually - at temperatures above 450 °C - to samples void of hydridic H. Concomitantly, the particles of samples reduced at high temperatures (500-600 °C) display substantial surface alteration, which is interpreted as the formation of a TiO (OH) shell, and sintering. Diffuse reflectance UV-VIS spectroscopy shows broad absorption in the VIS-NIR region, which is indicative of the presence of n-type free charge carriers. The size of the intrinsic band gap (∼3.2 eV) appears only slightly altered. Mott-Schottky measurements confirm the n-type conductivity and reveal shifts of the conduction band edge in the LiH reduced samples. Thus LiH appears as a versatile reagent to produce various distinct forms of reduced BaTiO₃ with tailored electronic properties.