Well dispersive barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles were synthesized by molten salt method using barium hydroxide octahydrate (Ba(OH)(2)center dot 8H(2)O), titanium dioxide (TiO2), and the eutectic salts (NaCl-KCl) as raw materials. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The present results show that BaTiO3 can be formed at low temperature of 600 degrees C. The crystallinity of BaTiO3 increases with the temperature rising. SEM images clearly indicate that well dispersive BaTiO3 nanoparticles can also be successfully obtained even at high temperature of 800 degrees C. Most BaTiO3 nanoparticles display hexagonal outline in shape. The average size of BaTiO3 nanoparticles is around 50 nm. Meanwhile, compared with crystalline TiO2, amorphous TiO2 is favorable for the formation of BaTiO3, especially decreasing other undesired phases. In the end, the formation mechanism of well dispersive BaTiO3 nanoparticles is proposed for this molten salt system. Well dispersive BaTiO3 nanoparticles begin to show some sintering ability at low temperature of 900 degrees C. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.