Superior piezo-photocatalysis effect in polarized BaTiO3@TiO2/Poly(vinylidene fluoride) composite film with topographical patterns

High-efficient and recyclable piezo-photocatalysts are garnering substantial attention in line with the advancements in environmental purification. Herein, a novel micropatterned piezo-photocatalytic composite film, wherein BaTiO 3 @TiO 2 core-shell nanoparticles are embedded within porous poly(vinylidene fluoride) matrix, is developed. The impressive synergy between photocatalytic and dual piezocatalytic effects emanating from integrated components contributes to significantly amplified piezo-photocatalysis process. Moreover, by modulating the geometric structure of nanofiller along with topographical pattern design, one can further harness the piezo-photocatalysis effect upon electrical poling. As a result, the newly-developed composite film exhibits distinguished piezophotocatalytic activity, i.e., the degradation efficiency of highly-concentrated Methyl Orange (MO) solution (C 0 = 10 mg/L, 100 mL) reaches 97.3 % within 90 min, implying its viability as high-performance piezo-photocatalysts.