Spontaneous Chirality Transition‐Mediated Piezo‐Pyroelectric Synergy for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production from Saturated Vapor of VOC Aqueous Solutions
Abstract This study aims to develop a Janus‐structure piezo‐pyroelectric photocatalytic membrane for integrated temperature‐mechanical‐electric field coupling, targeting hydrogen (H 2 ) production from the saturated vapor of volatile organic compound (VOC) aqueous solutions. The strategy utilizes the unique features of the Janus architecture by combining a piezoelectric effect induced by spontaneous chiral curling and a tertiary pyroelectric effect arising from strain gradients under thermal non‐uniformity to enhance photocatalytic performance. The Janus membrane consists of two functional layers: succinic acid‐modified polyvinyl alcohol, which swells with humidity, and ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene), which expands in response to photothermal and organic solvent stimuli. Under coupled piezo‐pyroelectric effects, the photocatalytic H 2 release rate from saturated vapor of VOC aqueous solution reaches 336.6 µmol h −1 under atmospheric pressure, which is 14.6 times higher than that from a liquid‐phase water splitting system, with an average apparent quantum yield of 16.6%. The 44.8% reduction in photoluminescence intensity and the 1016.7‐fold enhancement in photocurrent confirm the improvement in photo‐generated carrier separation efficiency. COMSOL simulations reveal a synergistic enhancement of the built‐in electric field through piezo‐pyroelectric coupling. This work presents a strategy for designing high‐efficiency photocatalytic materials and multi‐field coupled energy conversion systems, while simultaneously achieving pollutant‐to‐resource conversion and clean energy production.
Authors
- Huimin Wei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7989-3803)
- Bolun Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7078-7107)
- Chunhua Lü (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7725-885X)
- Jiahui Kou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0180-373X)
- Fan Cao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7376-0746)
- Bin Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9794-0047)
- Yukai Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1652-5605)
- Zhongzi Xu
Institutions
- Changzhou University (CN)
- The Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Functional Materials
- Published
- 2025-08-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202518394
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Gas Sensing Nanomaterials and Sensors
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.46
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Inorganic Functional Composites