In this work, we report the preparation of lead titanate (PT) nanoceramics (with an average grain size of similar to 200 nm in diameter) by using hydrothermal PT nanoparticles as start materials and characterized the dielectric and ferroelectric properties. The dielectric constant of the ceramic was found to be similar to 180 (at 1 kHz) at room temperature and reached a maximum value of 8330 at similar to 490 degrees C, suggesting that the Curie temperature of the nanoceramics is consistent with the known value of PT crystals. Ferroelectric domains and hysteresis loops were obtained through piezoelectric force microscopy measurements, which provide direct and clear evidence for the ferroelectricity in the nanoceramic samples. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.