Affiliation:
1. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Materials Protection and Advanced Materials in Electric Power College of Environmental & Chemical Engineering Shanghai University of Electric Power Shanghai 200090 P. R. China
2. SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research) Osaka University 8‐1 Mihogaoka Ibaraki Osaka 567‐0047 Japan
3. Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security Shanghai 200092 P. R. China
4. Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Heat‐exchange System and Energy Saving Shanghai University of Electric Power Shanghai 200090 P. R. China
Abstract
AbstractPiezocatalysis, a transformative mechanochemical energy conversion technique, has received considerable attention over the past decade for its role in processes such as hydrogen evolution from water. Despite notable progress in the field, challenges remain, particularly in the areas of limited piezocatalysis efficiency and limited availability of materials requiring a non‐centrosymmetric structure. Here, a pioneering contribution is presented by elucidating the piezocatalytic properties of hollow CaTiO3 nanocuboids, a centrosymmetric material with a nominally nonpolar state. Remarkably, CaTiO3 nanocuboids exhibit an impressive hydrogen production rate of 3.44 mmol g−1 h−1 under ultrasonic vibrations, surpassing the performance of the well‐established piezocatalyst BaTiO3 (2.23 mmol g−1 h−1). In contrast, commercial CaTiO3 nanoparticles do not exhibit piezocatalytic performance. The exceptional performance of hollow CaTiO3 nanocuboids is attributed to the abundance presence of twin boundaries on the {110} facet within its crystal structure, which can impart significant polarization strength to CaTiO3. Extending the investigation to other centrosymmetric materials, such as SrZrO3 and BaZrO3, the experimental results also demonstrate their commendable properties for piezocatalytic hydrogen production from water. This research underscores the significant potential of centrosymmetric materials in piezocatalysis.
Funder
Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality
Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai Municipality