Piezocatalytic Techniques in Environmental Remediation

Abstract

As a consequence of rapid industrialization throughout the world, various environmental pollutants have begun to accumulate in water, air, and soil. This endangers the ecological environment of the earth, and environmental remediation has become an immediate priority. Among various environmental remediation techniques, piezocatalytic techniques, which uniquely take advantage of the piezoelectric effect, have attracted much attention. Piezoelectric effects allow pollutant degradation directly, while also enhancing photocatalysis by reducing the recombination of photogenerated carriers. In this Review, we provide a comprehensive summary of recent developments in piezocatalytic techniques for environmental remediation. The origin of the piezoelectric effect as well as classification of piezoelectric materials and their application in environmental remediation are systematically summarized. We also analyze the potential underlying mechanisms. Finally, urgent problems and the future development of piezocatalytic techniques are discussed.

Recent Progress on Structure Manipulation of Poly(vinylidene fluoride)‐Based Ferroelectric Polymers for Enhanced Piezoelectricity and Applications

“…In recent years, new applications for PVDF-based piezoelectric materials have emerged. These include their use in micro-light emitting diodes (LEDs), [267] for medical applications such as bone repair, [268][269][270] piezoelectric catalysis, [271] for environmental remediation through piezoelectric catalysis, [272] etc.…”

A novel 1D/2D core/shell CdS@SnS2 heterostructure for efficient piezocatalytic hydrogen evolution and pollutant degradation

“…Obviously, piezocatalysis is based on the natural mechanical energy available anytime and anywhere and can be different from photocatalysis which is subject to the impact of light sources. 4,5 Piezocatalysis is usually a process in which the charge polarization of a semiconductor material with an asymmetric center under external stress produces a piezoelectric potential, which induces the migration and accumulation of heat-excited free charges in the opposite direction, thus participating in redox reactions with reactants. 6 Therefore, a series of piezocatalytic materials with asymmetric centers have been reported for applications in pollutant degradation, water splitting into hydrogen and carbon dioxide reduction.…”

“…Obviously, piezocatalysis is based on the natural mechanical energy available anytime and anywhere and can be different from photocatalysis which is subject to the impact of light sources. 4,5…”

Tribocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants Using Fe2O3 Nanoparticles

“…Wastewater usually contains complex organic pollutants and heavy metals, which make the treatment very difficult and time-consuming. Traditional wastewater purification methods, including the physical adsorption method, membrane filtration, the biological method, and so on, cannot solve the problem completely. − The physical adsorption method just transfers pollutants from one system to another, requiring additional treatment. − The membrane filtration method needs high costs and high energy consumption . The biological method demands suitable pH value, salt content, and temperature of wastewater and is time-consuming. , Therefore, advanced oxide techniques, such as photocatalysis, piezocatalysis, and tribocatalysis, have received increasing attention because these techniques can transform solar energy or mechanical energy into chemical energy using naturally existing clean energy. , The photocatalytic process is used to produce holes and electrons within semiconductors under light irradiation; then, these photogenerated holes and electrons are employed in catalytic reactions .…”