Piezoelectric photocatalytic degradation of formaldehyde based on BFO@OCN heterojunctions

Abstract

Piezoelectric photocatalysts represent a new class of environment-cleaning materials containing a self-electricity nanogenerator. Wind is one of the common energy sources in the natural environment. The piezoelectric field generated by the action of wind on piezoelectric materials can promote the adsorption of organic pollutants and also facilitate the transfer and separation of photogenerated carriers, thereby improving the efficiency of photocatalytic degradation of formaldehyde. This work developed a BFO@OCN heterojunction composite combing BiFeO3 nanocubes (BFO) and g-C3N4 nanosheets with oxygen vacancies (OCN). This piezoelectric photocatalyst exhibited high activity in degradation of formaldehyde in gas under light irradiation. Within 90 min, the formaldehyde concentration reduced from 1.50 ppm to 0.68 ppm, almost 2 times higher than the pure CN. This enhanced catalytic performance can be attributed to the synergistic interplay between the wind-induced piezoelectric field generated by BFO nanocubes in wind and the heterojunction with oxygen vacancies from g-C3N4 nanosheets. The piezoelectric field promoted the transfer of photoelectrons and holes in opposite directions, which could inhibit their recombination. Meanwhile, it also induced the generation of oxygen vacancies from g-C3N4 nanosheets. Our research findings provided a feasible strategy for developing high-efficiency piezoelectric photocatalysts, which could be decorated on the car outer-surface for self-cleaning and air purification under sunlight irradiation.