Symmetry-breaking induced piezocatalysis of Bi2S3 nanorods and boosted by alternating magnetic field

Abstract

In this work, the centrosymmetry of Bi2S3 nanorods is broken due to the introduction of large quantities of Si defects in the crystal lattice, which then endows the Bi2S3 nanorods with the ability to efficiently reduce Cr(VI) by piezocatalysis. Most importantly, the piezocatalytic reduction could be significantly boosted by applying an alternating magnetic field (AMF). The AMF coupled piezocatalysis is achieved by H2O2 and·O2-. AMF is found to facilitate the separation of electrons and holes due to the magnetoresistance effect of Bi2S3 nanorods, thus remarkably enhancing the piezocatalysis by largely increasing the generation of H2O2. This work paves a new way for inducing the piezoelectricity of centrosymmetric materials by introducing defects and improving their catalytic activity through AMF, which has a great application potential in energy and environment fields.