Construction of Self‐Healing Internal Electric Field for Sustainably Enhanced Photocatalysis

Abstract

The construction of internal electric field is generally considered an effective strategy to enhance photocatalytic performance due to its significant role in charge separation. However, static internal electric field is prone to be saturated either by inner or outer shield effect, and thus its effect on the improvement of photocatalysis can easily vanish. Here, the self-healing internal electric field is proposed and successfully endowed to a designed helical structural composite microfiber polyvinylidene fluoride/g-C 3 N 4 (PVDF/g-C 3 N 4 ) based on the bioinspired simple harmonic vibration. Importantly, the saturation and recovery of internal electric field are characterized by transient photovoltage and photoluminescence. The results indicate that the internal electric field could be saturated within about 10 min and refreshed with the assistance of rebuilt piezoelectric potential. The lifetime of photogenerated carriers is about 10 −4 s and the number of effective carriers is greatly increased in the presence of self-healing internal electric field. The results provide direct experimental evidence on the role of self-healing internal electric field in charge transfer behavior. This work represents a new design strategy of photocatalysts, and it may open up new horizons for solving energy shortage and environmental issues.

Piezocatalysis and Piezo‐Photocatalysis: Catalysts Classification and Modification Strategy, Reaction Mechanism, and Practical Application

“…[166] The in-situ characterization of piezo-enhanced charge separation was successfully applied on a helical structural polyvinylidene fluoride/g-C 3 N 4 microfiber (Figure 18a). [167] According to the photoluminescence spectra of the deformed sample, the recombination rate of photo-generated electrons and holes was greatly decreased at the beginning and then increased with the gradual saturation of the static piezo-potential ( Figure 18b). The transient photovoltage of deformed sample demonstrated the highest separation of holes and electrons.…”

A Hybrid Artificial Photocatalysis System Splits Atmospheric Water for Simultaneous Dehumidification and Power Generation

“…Hence, by exploiting crystal planes' electric filed to orient ferroelectric dipole in a nanoparticle, it is possible to drive photocatalyst water splitting without extra energy for polarization and enhance the photogenerated charge's mobility. [17,18] A new approach for artificial photocatalysis of electrical generation directly from atmospheric water is reported. A hybrid system comprising a hydrogel incorporated with Cu 2 O and BaTiO 3 nanoparticles is developed, wherein the Cu 2 O is designed to expose two different crystal planes, namely (100) and (111).…”

Metal–Organic‐Framework‐Engineered Enzyme‐Mimetic Catalysts

“…Natural enzymes, one of the most potent biocatalysts with high catalytic activities and substrate specificity, play an essential role in industrial, medical, and biological fields. [1,2] However, the inherent deficiencies of natural enzymes, such as high cost of fabrication and purification, low operational stability, (e.g., pH value, [25] oxygen content, [26] and redox conditions [27,28] ) or external stimuli (e.g., light, [29][30][31][32][33] ultrasound, [34,35] and X-rays [36] ), which result in unsatisfactory catalytic performance and selectivity toward a particular catalytic reaction. Moreover, the size, crystal structure, elemental composition, and surface status of diverse Enz-Cats are of great significance in the adjustment of catalytic properties.…”