Search

The pursuit of high-performance piezo-photocatalysts through structural modifications has been a focal point of investigation within the realm of related scientific disciplines. In this study, we successfully designed Er-doped Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 –BaTiO 3 combined with rare earth ion doping and solid solution modification, and the prepared particles exhibited homogeneous grain sizes and optimized concentrations of oxygen vacancies (O V). The synergistic incorporation of O V (accelerator for catalytic reaction) and Er3+ results in an impressive 12-fold enhancement of the piezo-photocatalytic rate when degrading the Rhodamine B dye. The optimal composition 0.96BNT-0.04BT-Er demonstrates outstanding electrochemical properties, including a superior photocurrent response and minimal impedance, highlighting its exceptional performance in piezo-photocatalysis. The fundamental enhancement in catalytic performance can be attributed to the reconfiguration of the band structure of 0.96BNT-0.04BT-Er, which has been meticulously calculated utilizing DRS and VB-XPS and the internal mechanism was explained in detail. This research serves as a source of inspiration for the investigation of solid solutions among piezo-photocatalysts and sheds light on the vital role of band structure in governing catalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the lead-free piezoelectric material Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 TiO 3 (BNT) has been adopted for piezo-catalysis and synergistic catalysis, such as piezo-photocatalysis. Nonetheless, the catalytic effect of single BNT is too weak to degrade multifarious contaminants. Here, BNT and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) composite were prepared and the catalytic performance of BNT was prominently boosted by introducing MWCNTs as the electron capturer. Particularly, the degradation rate of Rhodamine B (RhB, a typical contaminant) could reach 90% within 30 min, with a high rate constant of 0.0805 min−1. The specific degradation pathway of RhB was analyzed. The formation of oxygen vacancies was confirmed by XPS analysis, and the vital role of oxygen vacancies in the separation of photo-generated carriers was elucidated. Meanwhile, the BNT/MWCNTs composites manifested stronger transient current response compared to single BNT under the action of light irradiation and ultrasonic vibration, respectively. According to impedance analysis, the composites exhibited lower carrier transport resistance. Eventually, the mechanism of enhanced piezo-photocatalysis was explained in detail. This study provides an effective route to break the shackle of carrier recombination and speed up the carrier transport in piezo-photocatalytic materials. [Display omitted] • Simple method was used for synthesizing BNT/MWCNTs composite. • Extremely high degradation rate (92.2% within 30 min) via piezo-photocatalysis. • Boosted transient current response with decreased carrier transport resistance. • Complete degradation pathway for RhB was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]