Tetragonal barium titanate (BaTiO3) particles were synthesized at temperature as low as 220 degreesC through glycothermal reaction by using Ba(OH)(2) (.) 8H(2)O and amorphous titanium hydrous gel as precursors and 1,4-butanediol and water as solvent. XRD, DSC and Raman data support that glycothermal processing method provides a simple low-temperature route for producing tetragonal BaTiO3 nanoparticles without alkaline mineralizers. It is also demonstrated that the size and shape of BaTiO3 particles can be controlled by reaction conditions such as reaction temperature and various volume ratio of 1,4-butanediol/water. This processing method can fabricate BaTiO3 powders with narrow size distribution and low aggregation. In addition, BaTiO3 nanopowder with a Ba/Ti atomic ratio of 1.000+/-0.003 call be obtained in a reproducible manner with glycothermal process. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.