Promising pyro-photo-electric catalysis in NaNbO3 via integrating solar and cold-hot alternation energy in pyroelectric-assisted photoelectrochemical system

Herein, a novel catalytic process named pyro-photo-electric catalysis is firstly realized by combining pyroelectric catalysis (PREC) and photoelectrochemical (PEC) catalysis based on NaNbO3 nanocubes. The films show enhanced photocurrent density of 0.37 mA/cm(2) at 1.23 V vs. a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) under 20-50 degrees C heating-cooling cycles and illumination, which is 3.1 and 1.6 times higher than that of PREC (0.09 mA/ cm(2)) and PEC catalysis (0.14 mA/cm(2)). It is found that the higher catalysis efficiency can be the result of increased carrier concentration, including photogenerated carriers and pyro-generated carriers, and accelerated charge separation and transfer due to the change in band alignment at NaNbO3/electrolyte caused by the imbalance of polarization charges and the induced pyroelectric potential. This study confirms the feasibility of pyroelectric-assisted PEC performance and realizes the energy harvesting of cold-hot alternation thermal energy and solar energy. It also provides insights into the rational design for designing new and ecofriendly photo-electrodes with efficient PEC water splitting.

Automated summary

A novel catalytic process named pyro-photo-electric catalysis is successfully realized by combining pyroelectric catalysis and photoelectrochemical catalysis based on NaNbO3 nanocubes. The study shows that the enhanced photocurrent density can be attributed to the increased carrier concentration and accelerated charge separation and transfer due to changes in the band alignment at the NaNbO3/electrolyte interface.