Interconversion of Sp-Hybridized Chemical Bonds Induces Piezoelectric Enhanced Photocatalysis

The synergism of piezoelectric catalysis and plasmonic photocatalysis is an effective approach for enhancing the catalytic performance. Nevertheless, challenges remain in addressing the slow interfacial charge transfer rate and the high recombination of energetic hot electrons. In this study, we constructed a heterostructure comprising barium titanate/graphdiyne/gold nanofibers (BTO/GDY/Au NFs). The incorporation of a graphdiyne (GDY) layer serves as an electron sponge, significantly boosting the piezo-photocatalytic activity, with a degradation rate constant 3.3-fold higher than that of BTO/Au. Theoretical calculations indicated that BTO could undergo elastic deformation under ultrasound irradiation, resulting in the stretching and compression of GDY within a lattice constant range of 7.1-10.4 angstrom. This deformation induced the reversible conversion of sp-hybridized C equivalent to C to C=C, releasing electrons that could recombine with hot holes generated by the Au nanoparticles (Au NPs). Consequently, more hot electrons were able to participate in the catalytic reaction process. Furthermore, BTO/ GDY/Au NFs demonstrated excellent catalytic performance in the rapid degradation of organic dyes and antibiotics in wastewater, while also inhibiting bacterial propagation. The above-mentioned results validated the feasibility of this heterostructure for practical applications. Overall, this study presents a novel piezophotocatalysts, where the interconversion of sp-hybridized chemical bonds in GDY can serve as electron donor, thus significantly enhancing piezo-photocatalysis.