LiTaO3

Lithium tantalate · LTO

Lithium tantalate is a stable, insulating ferroelectric material widely used in acoustic and optical signal processing technologies.

Crystal structure of LiTaO3
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Lithium tantalate

Lithium tantalate is a thermodynamically stable oxide that serves as a cornerstone material in modern electronics. As a wide-band-gap insulator, it is prized for its exceptional piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties which allow it to convert mechanical stress into electrical signals and vice versa.

Its structural versatility is evidenced by the numerous reported configurations found in material databases. This robustness makes it an essential component for high-performance signal processing, telecommunications, and advanced optical components where reliability and stability are paramount.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Lithium tantalate, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

2.47–3.74 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

20
3 databases, 4 space groups
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting LiTaO3.

Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Solid State
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Solid State
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Solid State
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Uses

Applications

Where Lithium tantalate is used.

Surface acoustic wave filtersOptical modulatorsPyroelectric sensorsPiezoelectric transducersNon-linear optical components
Intellectual Property

Patent Landscape

1 patent reference LiTaO3 or close compositional variants.

PatentTitleAssigneeGranted
4196963Method for eliminating Li.sub.2 O out-diffusion in LiNbO.sub.3 and LiTaO.sub.3 waveguide structures
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Lithium tantalate, answered from cross-validated data.

What is LiTaO3?

Lithium tantalate is a stable, insulating ferroelectric material widely used in acoustic and optical signal processing technologies.

More questions
What is LiTaO3 used for?
Lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) is used in surface acoustic wave filters, optical modulators, pyroelectric sensors, piezoelectric transducers, and non-linear optical components.
What is the band gap of LiTaO3?
Lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 2.47–3.74 eV across 20 reported structures.
Is LiTaO3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 3.74 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is LiTaO3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
How many polymorphs of LiTaO3 are known?
20 structures of LiTaO3 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 4 distinct space groups.
How is LiTaO3 synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for LiTaO3 include sol gel, solid state (8 procedures documented).
What elements does LiTaO3 contain?
Lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) contains Li, O, and Ta (3 elements).
Where does the data for LiTaO3 come from?
LiTaO3 data is cross-referenced from latticegraph.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the lithium oxides class.

Unlike the battery-focused lithium oxides such as LiCoO2 or LiMn2O4, which are primarily valued for their electrochemical activity and ion-transport capabilities, lithium tantalate is defined by its dielectric and ferroelectric characteristics. While its siblings are optimized for energy storage and redox stability, lithium tantalate is engineered for its insulating nature and ability to manipulate electromagnetic waves.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other Lithium Oxides in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform

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