In this work, Gd 2 CuO 4 , prepared by the nitrate method, exhibited a significant piezo-photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B (Rh B) under solar illumination. Structural and electrochemical analyses confirmed the formation of a tetragonal spinel phase with p -type semiconducting behavior and a narrow band gap of 1.37 eV, enabling efficient visible-light absorption. Additionally, the material demonstrated an excellent chemical stability over a wide pH range, along with favorable electrochemical characteristics, supporting its potentiality for Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs). Under photocatalysis alone, Gd 2 CuO 4 achieved 63% Rh B degradation via superoxide radicals (O 2 ⋅− ). However, the introduction of piezo-photocatalysis (PPC) using Ultrasound Waves (USW, 60 kHz) significantly enhanced the oxidation efficiency to 90% within only 35 min., following a pseudo-first-order kinetic model with a half-life of 17 min. This enhancement is attributed to the material’s piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties, which promote the charge separation and accelerate Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) generation. Additionally, the narrow band gap and negative conduction band improve solar energy utilization and facilitate oxygen reduction to reactive intermediates. Gd 2 CuO 4 is found to be a highly efficient piezo-photocatalyst, with the synergy of piezoelectricity and photocatalysis enabling sustainable wastewater treatment.
Sahmi et al. (Sat,) studied this question.
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