Harnessing catalytic activity of CaCu3Ti4O12 submicron particles by inducing mechanical strain via Ball Milling

In this study, planetary ball milling was employed to degrade Methylene Blue (MB) dye using CaCu 3 Ti 4 O 12 (CCTO) nanoparticles as a catalyst. The CCTO nanoparticles were thoroughly characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, bandgap analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). While planetary ball mills are traditionally used for grinding, mixing, and synthesis, here the system was repurposed as a piezocatalytic setup for the degradation of organic dyes. A comprehensive parametric investigation was carried out to evaluate the influence of various factors, including initial dye concentration, catalyst dosage, the number of milling balls, and the rotational speed of the ball mill, on the degradation efficiency. The results indicate that a maximum degradation of 88 % was achieved at a rotational speed of 400 rpm, while an initial dye concentration of 5 mg/L led to 96 % degradation. Additionally, using 15 zirconium milling balls resulted in 92 % degradation, and a catalyst dosage of 300 mg yielded 89 % degradation within one hour. • Demonstrated mechano-catalytic dye degradation using CCTO nanoparticles. • Planetary ball milling induced piezocatalysis achieved up to 96 % MB removal. • Parametric study revealed strong influence of rpm, catalyst dose, and ball count. • Reactive species analysis confirmed h + as the dominant contributor to degradation. • CCTO catalyst retained stability and efficiency over five reuse cycles.