Piezocatalysis is an emerging and promising catalytic
technique
for degrading organic pollutants by harvesting mechanical energy.
However, the catalytic efficiency and environment compatibility of
present piezocatalysts are still unsatisfactory. Here, the superior
piezocatalytic performance of eco-friendly poly(tetrafluoroethylene)
(PTFE) micron powders was demonstrated by degrading several typical
dyes. Methylene blue can be degraded by 99% within 20 min (k = 0.246 min–1) using fresh PTFE under
ultrasonic vibration, and PTFE exhibits excellent stability and reusability.
In addition, rhodamine B, acid orange 7, and methyl orange can also
be degraded by 100, 98, and 99% within 60 min, respectively, demonstrating
the wide adaptability of PTFE. Catalytic mechanism investigations
demonstrate that •OH and •O2
– play major roles in dye degradation. Furthermore,
the influence of various water sources and different containers on
the catalytic performances of PTFE was explored, indicating that PTFE
has nice environmental suitability and that the glass container facilitates
catalytic degradation. Therefore, a designed glass spiral tube was
applied for large-volume wastewater purification, which can be further
extended for potential applications. This work thus demonstrates that
PTFE can be regarded as a promising catalyst for wastewater treatment
by harvesting mechanical energy, and the proposed Z-shaped wastewater degradation device has potential applications
in wastewater treatment.