# BaTiO₃ (barium titanate): structure, phase transitions and uses

> BaTiO₃, the classic ferroelectric perovskite: its ~120 °C Curie point, tetragonal, orthorhombic and rhombohedral phases, capacitors and piezoelectrics.

URL: https://www.labcanvas.com/perovskites/batio3

Barium titanate (BaTiO₃) is the classic ferroelectric perovskite: titanium sits in corner-sharing TiO₆ octahedra and barium in the cavities between them (Tan et al. 2015). Above its Curie point near 120 °C it is cubic and paraelectric (Tan et al. 2015; Bai et al. 2013); below it the titanium shifts along the c axis and the crystal becomes tetragonal and spontaneously polarized (Tan et al. 2015; Swaminathan et al. 2010), and at lower temperatures it passes through orthorhombic and rhombohedral ferroelectric phases (Shao & Zuo 2017). It is the main raw material of multilayer ceramic capacitors (Dai et al. 2022), and BaTiO₃-based ceramics are leading lead-free piezoelectrics (Liu & Ren 2009).

Perovskites Published 27 October 2026 Last updated 27 October 2026 9 references

![BaTiO₃: The classic ferroelectric perovskite (BaTiO₃)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/batio3/batio3-cover.webp)

**Contents**

**Contents**

- BaTiO₃ (barium titanate) at a glance
- BaTiO₃ (barium titanate) structure drawing (high-resolution SVG)
- BaTiO₃ (barium titanate) in 3D (interactive)
- BaTiO₃ structure explained
- Phase transitions: cubic, tetragonal, orthorhombic, rhombohedral
- Ferroelectricity and permittivity
- BaTiO₃ in multilayer ceramic capacitors
- BaTiO₃ as a piezoelectric
- Uses and research areas
- How to draw the BaTiO₃ structure
- The four phases of BaTiO₃
- Related materials
- More on LabCanvas
- Frequently asked questions
- References

## BaTiO₃ (barium titanate) at a glance

| Formula | BaTiO₃ (Tan et al. 2015) |
| --- | --- |
| Molar mass | 233.19 g mol⁻¹ (calculated from the formula) |
| Structure type | Perovskite: corner-sharing TiO₆ octahedra with Ba in the 12-coordinate cavities (Tan et al. 2015; Bartel et al. 2019) |
| Class | Ferroelectric (Tan et al. 2015) |
| Curie point | Near 120 °C, seen as a permittivity peak (Tan et al. 2015); cubic and paraelectric above it (Zhang et al. 2006; Bai et al. 2013) |
| Cubic → tetragonal | Cubic Pm-3m → tetragonal P4mm, by displacement of Ti along the c axis (Swaminathan et al. 2010) |
| Phase sequence on cooling | Cubic → tetragonal → orthorhombic → rhombohedral (Zhang et al. 2006; Shao and Zuo 2017) |
| Ferroelectric phases | Tetragonal, orthorhombic and rhombohedral, all acentric (Shao and Zuo 2017) |
| Rhombohedral phase | The stable low-temperature phase, with all Ti distortions along ⟨111⟩ in phase (Zhang et al. 2006, calculated by DFT) |
| Permittivity | Up to about 7000 reported; dense ceramics 2730–5800 at room temperature, peaking at a grain size near 1 µm (Tan et al. 2015) |
| Piezoelectric d₃₃ | About 180 pC/N for coarse-grained ceramics; 410–430 pC/N for optimized fine-grained ceramics (Tan et al. 2015) |
| Capacitors | The main raw material of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs); thinner layers need smaller grains (Dai et al. 2022) |
| Lead-free piezoelectric | Ba(Ti₀.₈Zr₀.₂)O₃–(Ba₀.₇Ca₀.₃)TiO₃: d₃₃ ≈ 620 pC/N at the morphotropic phase boundary (Liu and Ren 2009) |
| Key reports | Zhang et al., PNAS 103, 14695 (2006); Liu & Ren, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 257602 (2009); Tan et al., Sci. Rep. 5, 9953 (2015) |

## BaTiO₃ (barium titanate) structure drawing (high-resolution SVG)

![BaTiO₃ (barium titanate) structure drawn as a LabCanvas Library object](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/batio3/batio3-drawing.webp)

The cubic (paraelectric, above the Curie point) ABX₃ perovskite structure of BaTiO₃ as a LabCanvas Library object: TiO₆ octahedra (grey Ti, red O) sharing corners, Ba²⁺ (amber) in the cavities. A schematic: in the ferroelectric phases Ti shifts off centre, which this drawing does not show.

[Edit the drawing in LabCanvas](https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?add=perovskite)[Download SVG](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/batio3/batio3-drawing.svg)[Download PNG (3000 px)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/batio3/batio3-drawing.png)

## BaTiO₃ (barium titanate) in 3D (interactive)

![BaTiO₃ (barium titanate) 3D model](https://www.labcanvas.com/gallery3d/abx3perovskite3d.webp)

Loading the 3D model…

The cubic perovskite structure of BaTiO₃ above its Curie point in 3D: TiO₆ octahedra (blue) sharing corners, Ba²⁺ (amber) in the cavities. A schematic; the small Ti off-centre shift of the ferroelectric phases is not shown. Drag to turn it.

[Open in the 3D Studio](https://www.labcanvas.com/studio3d.html?add=abx3perovskite3d)

## BaTiO₃ structure explained

BaTiO₃ has the perovskite structure: each **titanium** is at the centre of an octahedron of six **oxygen** atoms, the TiO₆ octahedra share corners, and each **barium** fills a cavity between eight octahedra with twelve oxygen neighbours (Tan et al. 2015; Bartel et al. 2019).

Above the Curie point the cell is cubic (Zhang et al. 2006), space group Pm-3m. Below it titanium is displaced along the c axis and the cell becomes tetragonal, space group P4mm (Swaminathan et al. 2010). Because the displacement gives every cell an electric dipole, the crystal is **spontaneously polarized**.

## Phase transitions: cubic, tetragonal, orthorhombic, rhombohedral

BaTiO₃ has four phases. Above a Curie point near **120 °C** it is cubic and paraelectric (Zhang et al. 2006; Bai et al. 2013), and the permittivity peaks at the transition (Tan et al. 2015). Below it the crystal is **tetragonal**, the phase present at room temperature, where it forms 90° domains that relieve the stress of the transition (Tan et al. 2015). On further cooling it turns **orthorhombic** and finally **rhombohedral**. Electron diffraction confirms that all three ferroelectric phases are acentric, with tetragonal, orthorhombic and rhombohedral symmetry, although the symmetry fluctuates on a scale of a few tens of nanometres (Shao & Zuo 2017).

Density functional calculations find local Ti distortions toward ⟨111⟩, the octahedral faces, in all four phases. In the stable rhombohedral phase they all point the same way; in the orthorhombic, tetragonal and cubic phases they are coupled antiferroelectrically in one, two and three dimensions, which accounts for features such as the diffuse X-ray scattering seen in all but the rhombohedral phase (Zhang et al. 2006).

## Ferroelectricity and permittivity

BaTiO₃ has a very high permittivity: values up to about 7000 have been reported (Tan et al. 2015). In ceramics the permittivity depends on grain size. It rises as the grains get smaller, peaks at a grain size near 1 µm and falls again for finer grains; in dense ceramics made by conventional and spark plasma sintering the room-temperature permittivity was 2730–5800. The peak is attributed to the highest density and mobility of 90° domain walls (Tan et al. 2015).

## BaTiO₃ in multilayer ceramic capacitors

Multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) stack many thin dielectric layers between interleaved electrodes, and barium titanate is their main raw material. Thinner dielectric layers require smaller BaTiO₃ grains (Dai et al. 2022), so the size effect, how the permittivity of BaTiO₃ changes with particle and grain size, is the central issue in designing high-capacitance MLCCs; simulations suggest that grains smaller than about 80 nm no longer increase the capacitance density (Tsurumi et al. 2009).

## BaTiO₃ as a piezoelectric

BaTiO₃ is studied as a **lead-free piezoelectric** (Tan et al. 2015). For decades its piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ was taken to be below about 190 pC/N; coarse-grained ceramics give about 180 pC/N, but optimized fine-grained ceramics reach 410–430 pC/N (Tan et al. 2015). Alloying raises it further: Ba(Ti₀.₈Zr₀.₂)O₃–(Ba₀.₇Ca₀.₃)TiO₃ ceramics reach d₃₃ ≈ 620 pC/N at a morphotropic phase boundary that starts from a triple point of the cubic, rhombohedral and tetragonal phases (Liu & Ren 2009).

## Uses and research areas

- **Capacitors.** The main raw material of multilayer ceramic capacitors (Dai et al. 2022; Tsurumi et al. 2009).
- **Piezoelectrics.** BaTiO₃ and (Ba,Ca)(Zr,Ti)O₃ ceramics as lead-free alternatives (Tan et al. 2015; Liu & Ren 2009).
- **Ferroelectric physics.** A model system for ferroelectric phase transitions and domains (Zhang et al. 2006; Shao & Zuo 2017; Tan et al. 2015).

## How to draw the BaTiO₃ structure

For a paper, slide or poster, draw the perovskite cell with a TiO₆ octahedron at the centre and Ba at the corners. To show the tetragonal ferroelectric phase, shift the Ti atom along the c axis off the centre of its octahedron and add an arrow for the polarization. A row of cells with arrows pointing up and down shows 180° domains. In LabCanvas you can draw the perovskite cell in the figure editor, show the TiO₆ polyhedra, add polarization arrows and export a high-resolution image.

## The four phases of BaTiO₃

| Phase | When | Polar? | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cubic (Pm-3m) | Above the Curie point, near 120 °C | No (paraelectric) | Tan et al. 2015; Zhang et al. 2006; Bai et al. 2013 |
| Tetragonal (P4mm) | Below the Curie point, including room temperature | Yes; Ti displaced along c | Swaminathan et al. 2010; Tan et al. 2015 |
| Orthorhombic | Below the tetragonal phase | Yes (acentric) | Shao & Zuo 2017 |
| Rhombohedral | Lowest temperatures; the stable phase in DFT | Yes; Ti distortions along ⟨111⟩ in phase | Zhang et al. 2006; Shao & Zuo 2017 |

## Related materials

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[![SrTiO₃: The model cubic perovskite oxide (SrTiO₃)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/srtio3/srtio3-cover.webp) Perovskite SrTiO₃ SrTiO₃ (strontium titanate) SrTiO₃ structure and properties: cubic perovskite (a = 3.905 Å), the 105 K transition, quantum paraelectricity, LaAlO₃/SrTiO₃ interfaces and water splitting.](https://www.labcanvas.com/perovskites/srtio3)

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[![MAPbI₃: The hybrid perovskite behind perovskite solar cells (CH₃NH₃PbI₃)](https://www.labcanvas.com/materials/mapbi3/mapbi3-cover.webp) Perovskite CH₃NH₃PbI₃ MAPbI₃ MAPbI₃ (CH₃NH₃PbI₃): tetragonal and cubic phases, 1.5 eV band gap, the first perovskite solar cells, long diffusion lengths, instability and lead toxicity.](https://www.labcanvas.com/perovskites/mapbi3)

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## Frequently asked questions

### What is BaTiO₃?

Barium titanate, a ferroelectric oxide with the perovskite structure: corner-sharing TiO₆ octahedra with Ba in the cavities. It is the main raw material of multilayer ceramic capacitors and a lead-free piezoelectric (Tan et al. 2015; Dai et al. 2022).

### What is the Curie temperature of BaTiO₃?

Near 120 °C: at the Curie point the permittivity peaks (Tan et al. 2015). Above it BaTiO₃ is cubic and paraelectric (Zhang et al. 2006; Bai et al. 2013).

### What is the crystal structure of BaTiO₃ at room temperature?

Tetragonal, space group P4mm, with titanium displaced along the c axis (Swaminathan et al. 2010). Above the Curie point near 120 °C it is cubic (Tan et al. 2015; Zhang et al. 2006).

### What are the phase transitions of BaTiO₃?

On cooling: cubic to tetragonal at the Curie point near 120 °C, then tetragonal to orthorhombic and orthorhombic to rhombohedral at lower temperatures (Tan et al. 2015; Zhang et al. 2006). The three low-temperature phases are all ferroelectric (Shao & Zuo 2017).

### Why is BaTiO₃ ferroelectric?

Below the Curie point titanium is displaced from the centre of its oxygen octahedron, along the c axis in the tetragonal phase, so each cell carries a dipole and the crystal is spontaneously polarized (Swaminathan et al. 2010). Calculations find local Ti distortions toward ⟨111⟩ in all phases, ordered in different ways in each (Zhang et al. 2006).

### What is the dielectric constant of BaTiO₃?

Very high: values up to about 7000 have been reported. Dense ceramics measured at room temperature gave 2730–5800, with a maximum at a grain size near 1 µm (Tan et al. 2015).

### Why is BaTiO₃ used in capacitors?

Because of its high permittivity (Tan et al. 2015). Barium titanate is the main raw material of multilayer ceramic capacitors; making the dielectric layers thinner requires smaller BaTiO₃ grains (Dai et al. 2022; Tsurumi et al. 2009).

### Is BaTiO₃ piezoelectric?

Yes. Coarse-grained BaTiO₃ ceramics have d₃₃ of about 180 pC/N and optimized fine-grained ones 410–430 pC/N (Tan et al. 2015); the BaTiO₃-based solid solution Ba(Ti₀.₈Zr₀.₂)O₃–(Ba₀.₇Ca₀.₃)TiO₃ reaches about 620 pC/N (Liu & Ren 2009).

## References

- Y. Tan et al.. Unfolding grain size effects in barium titanate ferroelectric ceramics. *Sci. Rep.* 2015, 5, 9953. [doi:10.1038/srep09953](https://doi.org/10.1038/srep09953)
- V. Swaminathan, S. S. Pramana, T. J. White, L. Chen, R. Chukka, R. V. Ramanujan. Microwave synthesis of noncentrosymmetric BaTiO₃ truncated nanocubes for charge storage applications. *ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces* 2010, 2, 3037–3042. [doi:10.1021/am1004865](https://doi.org/10.1021/am1004865)
- Q. Zhang, T. Cagin, W. A. Goddard. The ferroelectric and cubic phases in BaTiO₃ ferroelectrics are also antiferroelectric. *Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA* 2006, 103, 14695–14700. [doi:10.1073/pnas.0606612103](https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0606612103)
- Y. Bai, X. Han, X.-C. Zheng, L. Qiao. Both high reliability and giant electrocaloric strength in BaTiO₃ ceramics. *Sci. Rep.* 2013, 3, 2895. [doi:10.1038/srep02895](https://doi.org/10.1038/srep02895)
- Y.-T. Shao, J.-M. Zuo. Nanoscale symmetry fluctuations in ferroelectric barium titanate, BaTiO₃. *Acta Crystallogr. B* 2017, 73, 708–714. [doi:10.1107/S2052520617008496](https://doi.org/10.1107/S2052520617008496)
- K. Dai et al.. Quantifying the improvement in dielectric properties of BaSrTiO₃-based ceramics by adding MgO. *Materials* 2022, 15, 2875. [doi:10.3390/ma15082875](https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15082875)
- T. Tsurumi, T. Hoshina, H. Takeda, Y. Mizuno, H. Chazono. Size effect of barium titanate and computer-aided design of multilayered ceramic capacitors. *IEEE Trans. Ultrason. Ferroelectr. Freq. Control* 2009, 56, 1513–1522. [doi:10.1109/TUFFC.2009.1214](https://doi.org/10.1109/TUFFC.2009.1214)
- W. Liu, X. Ren. Large piezoelectric effect in Pb-free ceramics. *Phys. Rev. Lett.* 2009, 103, 257602. [doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.257602](https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.257602)
- C. J. Bartel et al.. New tolerance factor to predict the stability of perovskite oxides and halides. *Sci. Adv.* 2019, 5, eaav0693. [doi:10.1126/sciadv.aav0693](https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aav0693)

## Draw BaTiO₃ (barium titanate) for your paper or slides

LabCanvas is a browser workspace for scientific figures: framework clusters, linkers and nets, crystal structures in 2D and 3D, graphs and posters, all editable.

[Draw BaTiO₃ (barium titanate) in LabCanvas](https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?add=perovskite)

**Contents**

- BaTiO₃ (barium titanate) at a glance
- BaTiO₃ (barium titanate) structure drawing (high-resolution SVG)
- BaTiO₃ (barium titanate) in 3D (interactive)
- BaTiO₃ structure explained
- Phase transitions: cubic, tetragonal, orthorhombic, rhombohedral
- Ferroelectricity and permittivity
- BaTiO₃ in multilayer ceramic capacitors
- BaTiO₃ as a piezoelectric
- Uses and research areas
- How to draw the BaTiO₃ structure
- The four phases of BaTiO₃
- Related materials
- More on LabCanvas
- Frequently asked questions
- References