Highly-efficient piezocatalytic performance of nanocrystalline BaTi0.89Sn0.11O3 catalyst with Tc near room temperature

Inducing changes in polarization of a ferroelectric material by applied stress is recently regarded as a fascinating approach to achieve piezocatalysis in case of both dye degradation and H-2 generation. The polarization-driven ferroelectrics are expected to reveal superior performance near Curie temperature (T-c) due to the maximum polarization change, but lack experimental proof. In this work, BaTi0.89Sn0.11O3 (BTS) with high piezoelectric coefficient and low T-c is taken as an example for materials of this kind. BTS nanoparticles with multiple phase coexistence and low T-c similar to 40 degrees C were prepared and used for dyes degradation and hydrogen generation. In-situ piezoresponse scanning force microscopy revealed a much-enhanced piezoelectric response near T-c, resulting in a highly-active piezocatalyst. The Rhodamine B (RhB) and Methyl orange (MO) could be decomposed within 15 min and 60 min, respectively. Superior H-2 generation rates of 141.1 and 360.2 mu mol g(-1) h(-1) were observed for BTS and BTS@Ag nanoparticles under ultrasonic irradiation at 15 degrees C. Furthermore, a highly-efficient pyrocatalytic performance with BTS nanoparticles was also found under cold-hot cycle excitation near T-c. This work demonstrates an efficient and low-cost strategy for water remediation via employing low T-c ferroelectrics by harvesting vibration or thermal energy from the surroundings.

Automated summary

Inducing changes in polarization of a ferroelectric material by applied stress can achieve efficient dye degradation and hydrogen generation at low temperatures. BaTi0.89Sn0.11O3 (BTS) nanoparticles exhibit superior piezoelectric response near Curie temperature, serving as an excellent piezocatalyst. Utilizing low T-c ferroelectrics through harvesting vibration or thermal energy enables highly efficient water remediation.