Nano‐Ferroelectric for High Efficiency Overall Water Splitting under Ultrasonic Vibration

Abstract Piezocatalysis, converting mechanical vibration into chemical energy, has emerged as a promising candidate for water‐splitting technology. However, the efficiency of the hydrogen production is quite limited. We herein report well‐defined 10 nm BaTiO 3 nanoparticles (NPs) characterized by a large electro‐mechanical coefficient which induces a high piezoelectric effect. Atomic‐resolution high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF‐STEM) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM) suggests that piezoelectric BaTiO 3 NPs display a coexistence of multiple phases with low energy barriers and polarization anisotropy which results in a high electro‐mechanical coefficient. Landau free energy modeling also confirms that the greatly reduced polarization anisotropy facilitates polarization rotation. Employing the high piezoelectric properties of BaTiO 3 NPs, we demonstrate an overall water‐splitting process with the highest hydrogen production efficiency hitherto reported, with a H 2 production rate of 655 μmol g −1 h −1 , which could rival excellent photocatalysis system. This study highlights the potential of piezoelectric catalysis for overall water splitting.