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Harvesting the Vibration Energy of BiFeO 3 Nanosheets for Hydrogen Evolution
Author(s) -
You Huilin,
Wu Zheng,
Zhang Luohong,
Ying Yiran,
Liu Yan,
Fei Linfeng,
Chen Xinxin,
Jia Yanmin,
Wang Yaojin,
Wang Feifei,
Ju Sheng,
Qiao Jinli,
Lam ChiHang,
Huang Haitao
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201906181
Subject(s) - hydrogen production , materials science , rhodamine b , water splitting , catalysis , piezoelectricity , hydrogen , photocatalysis , vibration , photocatalytic water splitting , mechanical energy , band gap , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , optoelectronics , chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , physics , engineering , power (physics) , quantum mechanics
In this study, mechanical vibration is used for hydrogen generation and decomposition of dye molecules, with the help of BiFeO 3 (BFO) square nanosheets. A high hydrogen production rate of ≈124.1 μmol g −1 is achieved under mechanical vibration (100 W) for 1 h at the resonant frequency of the BFO nanosheets. The decomposition ratio of Rhodamine B dye reaches up to ≈94.1 % after mechanical vibration of the BFO catalyst for 50 min. The vibration‐induced catalysis of the BFO square nanosheets may be attributed to the piezocatalytic properties of BFO and the high specific surface area of the nanosheets. The uncompensated piezoelectric charges on the surfaces of BFO nanosheets induced by mechanical vibration result in a built‐in electric field across the nanosheets. Unlike a photocatalyst for water splitting, which requires a proper band edge position for hydrogen evolution, such a requirement is not needed in piezocatalytic water splitting, where the band tilting under the induced piezoelectric field will make the conduction band of BFO more negative than the H 2 /H 2 O redox potential (0 V) for hydrogen generation.