Partial MOF-derived BiFeO3 from Fe/Bi-BDC framework for Efficient Piezo-Photocatalytic Reduction of Cr(VI) and N2 Fixation under Visible Light

Due to the synergistic properties of piezoelectric and photocatalysis, piezo-photocatalysts provide a new solution for the charge carriers produced during the reaction and can show higher efficiency in reducing environmental pollutants. The new aspect of photocatalysis is that photocatalysis uses sunlight to convert toxic mineral species into less dangerous ones. Also, the new aspect of piezoelectricity is that when the piezoelectric material is subjected to mechanical stress, the induced displacement of ions creates net electric charges throughout the material. In this paper, the calcined bimetallic sample (CBM-150) is a sample of BiFeO3 prepared at low temperature, that is partially derived from the Fe/Bi-BDC framework. The innovation of the used CBM-150 catalyst is that this catalyst was able to provide a new strategy to increase the charge separation efficiency of electron/hole pairs produced during the reaction through the synergy of piezoelectric and photocatalytic properties. The innovation of the CBM-150 catalyst is such that it was able to show 89% and 91% efficiency for Cr(VI) reduction in 40 minutes at neutral pH with a 20 W Xenon lamp and sunlight irradiation. CBM-150 also successfully produced 109.04 µmol.L-1.g-1.h-1 green ammonia through nitrogen fixation reaction. Finally, CBM-150 is an effective and low-cost piezo-photocatalyst that can be a promising candidate for the Cr(VI) reduction and efficient green ammonia production.