Hybrid piezo-photocatalysts: Harnessing dual functionalities for advanced charge dynamics and catalytic performance

Piezo-photocatalysis has attracted enormous attention in alleviating excessive energy consumption and remedying ecological damage owing to its greenness and sustainability. However, achieving both robust piezoelectricity and ideal semiconducting properties within a single component piezo-photocatalyst remains challenging due to the inherent contradictions between both properties. Alternatively, fabricating hybrid materials that combine both properties from corresponding components has proven to be the most practical approach. Yet such composite materials require meticulous selection of constituents, precise design considerations, and careful fabrication processes to maximize the effect of piezoelectric polarization field on the semiconductor constituent. Here we provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art techniques for building up efficient hybrid piezo-photocatalysts. This review starts with the fundamentals of piezo-phototronics, elucidating the synergy between piezoelectricity and photocatalysis. Subsequently, a clear classification of the potential piezoelectrics and exceptional semiconductor candidates for hybrids fabrication is presented. Importantly, the candidate selection principles, fabrication methodologies and techniques as well as application scopes for various composite piezo-photocatalysts are systematically summarized. Lastly, the guidelines, challenges, and perspectives regarding the development of hybrid piezo-photocatalysts have been highlighted.