Efficient piezocatalytic effect of SrxBa1−xTiO3 solid solution nanocubes with inhomogeneous lattice strain for bisphenol A degradation

Abstract

Green and high-efficient piezocatalytic technology is considered as an emerging strategy to remove phenolic pollutants. In this work, SrxBa1−xTiO3 (0.7 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) solid solution nanocubes with an average size of about 10 nm were prepared by a rapid sol precipitation for piezocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A (BPA). As a result, the Sr0.8Ba0.2TiO3 exhibited the best piezocatalytic activity under ultrasound with the degradation rate constant of 0.2393 min−1, which was nearly 2 and 1.5 times that of SrTiO3 and BaTiO3, respectively. The superior catalytic performance was mainly due to the large active surface and response potential of small-sized nanocubes. Simultaneously, the incorporation of Ba2+ can induce inhomogeneous lattice strain and significantly improved piezoelectricity. Active species capture tests showed that •O2– and •OH radicals played a key role in the piezocatalysis. It provides an efficient approach for industrial wastewater treatment in an economic and eco-friendly way by utilizing mechanical energy.