Piezoelectric catalysis of CeO2 doped (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3 solid solutions for dye wastewater decomposition under phase boundary engineering

Piezoelectric catalysis can drive pollutant degradation by means of piezoelectric effect with mechanical-electrical energy conversion. Here, we propose to modulate the phase boundary in CeO2 doped (Ba0.85Ca0.15)(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O-3 compounds (BCZT-CeO2) to improve piezoelectric catalytic activity. The interrelationships between composition, phase structure, electrochemistry, and catalytic performance were methodically examined. BCZT-0.04 wt%CeO2 coexists in orthorhombic and tetragonal phases with a high piezoelectric coefficient (d(33) = 425 pC/N) and demonstrates enhanced piezoelectric catalytic performance. The polarized BCZT-0.04 wt%CeO2 acquires the remarkable degradation ratio of 92.5 % for Rhodamine B dye within 60 min. The enhancement of piezo-catalytic activity was further identified through the electrochemical analysis and hence the reasonable mechanism of polarization-induced charge transfer was proposed for piezoelectric catalysis as well. This work provides a promising strategy for boosting the piezoelectric catalytic performance under phase boundary engineering and potentially extends the application range of lead-free ferroelectric materials, typically towards pollutant treatment.