Piezocatalytic effect induced by Schottky junction at interface of 0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 – 0.5(Ba0.7Sr0.3)TiO3.

In water remediation applications ferroelectric materials have been shown wide applicability in catalysis due to their spontaneous polarization. 0.5Ba(Zr 0.2 Ti 0.8)O 3 – 0.5(Ba 0.7 Sr 0.3)TiO 3 (BST-BZT) pellets were examined for piezocatalysis activity by electrode effect. These samples were prepared using traditional solid-state reaction and sintering process. The samples were coated with silver paste using manual brushing resulting in Schottky junction having enhanced surface polarization and dye degradation capability. X-ray diffraction, Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE SEM), and Raman spectroscopy were performed to confirm the phase, morphology and vibrational modes of prepared samples, respectively. Further, Diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) and X-Ray Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was done to check absorbance and chemical composition. Piezocatalysis activity on electrode sample was observed under 150W and 40 kHz ultrasonication. Well dried samples showed enhanced dye degradation of 68 %. It could be due to additional charges developed at the interface which act as Schottky junction along with triboelectric phenomenon. This highlights the significant impact of Schottky junction in electrode effect by enhancing the piezocatalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]