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)O3 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 (d33 = 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.