Unveiling charge utilization mechanisms in ferroelectric for water splitting
Charge separation is a critical process for achieving high photocatalytic efficiency, and ferroelectrics hold significant potential for facilitating effective charge separation. However, few studies have demonstrated substantial photocatalytic activity in these materials. In this study, we demonstrate that in ferroelectric PbTiO<sub>3</sub>, surface Ti vacancy defects near the positively polarized facets impede photocatalytic performance by trapping electrons and inducing their recombination. To tackle this issue, we selectively grew SrTiO<sub>3</sub> nanolayers on the polarized facets PbTiO<sub>3</sub>, effectively mitigating interface Ti defects. This modification establishes a efficient electron transfer pathway at the interface between the positively polarized facets and the cocatalyst, extending the electron lifetime from 50 microseconds to the millisecond scale and significantly increasing electron participation in water-splitting reactions. Consequently, the apparent quantum yield for overall water splitting achieves the highest values reported to date for ferroelectric photocatalytic materials. This work provides an effective strategy for designing advanced ferroelectric photocatalytic systems.
Authors
- Yong Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4563-4085)
- Na Ta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9297-8764)
- Zhuan Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7770-7192)
- Jie Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7821-4808)
- Yuxiang Weng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0423-2266)
- Fengtao Fan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9828-6988)
- Pengxiang Ji (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9455-1564)
- Chao Zhen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2828-6122)
- Yaling Luo
- Hongyan Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0221-016X)
- Thomas Dittrich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2698-9481)
- Junhao Cui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0911-3111)
- Mingrun Li
- Can Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9301-7850)
- Gang Yu Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6946-7552)
- Xiuli Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6231-4521)
- Dong Su (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1921-6683)
- Dongfeng Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6537-3279)
- Zheng Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1126-0428)
- Yanjun Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6552-4476)
- Z. Y. Feng
Institutions
- Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (CN)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (DE)
- Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy (CN)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (CN)
- Institute of Physics (CN)
- National Laboratory for Superconductivity (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-02-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56359-y
- Citations
- 35
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 12.72
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Dalian University of Technology
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities