Effect of ferroelectricity on solar-light-driven photocatalytic activity of BaTiO3 - Influence on the carrier separation and stern layer formation

Yongfei Cui, Joe Briscoe, Steve Dunn

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    305 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    BaTiO3 is used as a target catalyst to probe the influence of ferroelectricity on the decolorization of a typical dye molecule - Rhodamine B - under simulated solar light. We show that there is a 3-fold increase in the decolorization rate using BaTiO3 with a high tetragonal content compared to predominantly cubic material. This is ascribed to the ferroelectricity of the tetragonal phase. The influence of ferroelectricity ensures a tightly bound layer of dye molecule and also acts to separate the photoexcited carriers due to the internal space charge layer. Both of these features act to enhance the catalytic performance. When nanostructured Ag is photochemically deposited on the surface of the BaTiO3, we find a further increase in the reaction rate that gives complete decolorization of the dye in around 45 min.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)4215-4223
    Number of pages9
    JournalChemistry of Materials
    Volume25
    Issue number21
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 12 Nov 2013

    Keywords

    • barium titanate
    • ferroelectrics
    • photocatalysis

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Effect of ferroelectricity on solar-light-driven photocatalytic activity of BaTiO3 - Influence on the carrier separation and stern layer formation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this