Low-temperature synthesis of ultrafine La_0.84Sr_0.16MnO₃ powder by an autoignition process

A simple and convenient method for low-temperature synthesis of La_0.84Sr_0.16MnO₃ powder is described. The technique involves autoignition of a carboxylate (citrate + acetate)-nitrate gel resulting from a thermally induced anionie oxidation-reduction reaction to yield an ash, which upon calcination produces the desired powder. The resulting powder is pure, homogeneous, and possesses ultrafine particle size of the order of 0.3 to 0.5 μm. The autoignition is restricted to a particular range of carboxylate to nitrate ratio in the gel. Attempts have been made to understand the ignition process with the help of Thermogravimetry (TG) and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) of the samples. The process appears to have a higher degree of reproducibility and a good material yield (more than 96%) suitable for large-scale production.