Non-noble plasmonic TiN modified BiOBr for the piezo-photocatalytic removal of sulfisoxazole: Simultaneous improvement of photocatalytic and piezoelectric properties

• Published in: Separation and purification technology 2024-06, Vol.337, p.126358, Article 126358
• Main Authors: Zhang, Guangzhi, Li, Daguang, Liu, Minghao, Wang, Yi, Zhang, Jinfan, Zhang, Yudan, Liu, Haijin, Li, Wenjun, Li, Zhenchao, Lv, Wenying, Liu, Guoguang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Charge separation; Piezo-photocatalysis; Sulfisoxazole degradation; TiN/BiOBr
• ISSN: 1383-5866; 1873-3794
• DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2024.126358

•The TiN/BiOBr piezo-photocatalyst was first reported.•The modification of TiN simultaneously improves piezo/photocatalytic properties.•DFT calculations verified that TiN extends piezoelectric field.•TiN/BiOBr showed an inspiring piezo-photocatalytic activity for SIZ degradation. Piezo-photocatalytic systems have the capacity to degrade environmental contaminants by exploiting mechanical and photonic energy. Herein, we report on a strategy for the modification of bismuth bromide oxide (BiOBr) with a non-noble metal plasma (titanium nitride (TiN)). The synthesized piezo-photocatalytic system demonstrated excellent performance for the degradation of sulfisoxazole (SIZ), where the 2-TiN/BiOBr samples exhibited a high degradation rate of 94.9 % in 70 min, with a rate constant that was 4.68 times higher than that of BiOBr. This improved catalytic performance was attributed to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect and high electronic conductivity of TiN, which improved the photocatalytic and piezoelectric properties of BiOBr. The hypothesis of an extended piezoelectric field was verified in conjunction with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This work presents a new perspective for improved piezoelectric photocatalytic systems, which have great potential for utilizing solar and mechanical energy for environmental remediation.