A Dual‐Piezoelectric Metal–Organic Cage/COF Z‐Scheme Heterojunction for Solar‐Mechanical Water Splitting
Developing efficient solar-mechanical energy conversion systems is crucial for sustainable H<sub>2</sub>/H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production. We report an unprecedented piezoelectric metal-organic cage (MOC-FA3), integrated with piezoelectric β-ketoenamine COF (S-COF) into a Z-scheme heterojunction via supramolecular interactions. The non-centrosymmetric piezoelectricity of MOC-FA3 is confirmed by multimodal characterization (KPFM, piezoelectric coefficient measurement, and in situ spectroscopy) and piezocatalytic H<sub>2</sub>/H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> production (334.3/203.6 µmol g<sup>-1</sup> h<sup>-1</sup>). Under ultrasound (60 W, 40 kHz) and AM 1.5G, the heterojunction achieves exceptional synergistic pure water splitting at 1297.6 H<sub>2</sub> and 1304.2 H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> µmol g<sup>-1</sup> h<sup>-1</sup>, among the highest for COF-based piezo-photocatalysts, with 1.95-fold and 2.06-fold enhancements over S-COF. This stems from Z-scheme charge transfer coupled with piezoelectric-field-enhanced separation. Experimental results and DFT calculations identify Pd sites (H<sub>2</sub> evolution) and C<sup>2</sup>-C<sup>3</sup> sites (2e<sup>-</sup> water oxidation → H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>), with in situ EPR confirming •OH intermediates. This work introduces MOCs as a new piezoelectric material class, demonstrating synergistic Z-scheme/piezoelectric coupling for mechano-photonic energy conversion.
Authors
- Xinyi Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2762-8450)
- Limin Xiao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5076-8208)
- Xin‐Bang Peng
- Zi‐Zhan Liang
- Jun‐Min Liu
- Li Gong
- Bo Zou
- Xin‐Ao Li
- Yixuan Wang
- Yecheng Zhou
Institutions
- Sun Yat-sen University (CN)
- Jilin University (CN)
- Beihang University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Science
- Published
- 2026-01-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202523030
- Primary Topic
- Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Sun Yat-sen University