Nanosize metal oxide particles for producing transparent metal oxide colloids and ceramers

A process of making dispersible crystalline metal oxide nanoparticles, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a metal alkoxide;
• (b) reacting the metal alkoxide with a substoichiometric amount of a complexing agent;
• (c) partially hydrolyzing the product of step (b) by the addition of substoichiometric amounts of water;
• and
• (d) thermally treating the partially hydrolyzed mixture by heating under pressure at a temperature in the range of about 150° C. to about 265° C. for an amount of time sufficient to form crystalline particles having a crystallite diameter greater than about 4 nanometers and less than about 20nanometers and having a degree crystallinity greater than 55 percent.