Breaking Symmetry via Bamboo‐Inspired Gradient Engineering for Triple‐Field Synergistic H <sub>2</sub> O <sub>2</sub> Production

ABSTRACT Piezocatalysis is a promising chemical synthesis technique, but it is generally restricted to noncentrosymmetric materials, severely limiting catalyst selection. The flexoelectric effect bypasses this symmetry constraint. However, its catalytic contribution is often overlooked, as conventional materials generate only modest strain gradients. Inspired by the hierarchical radial gradients in natural bamboo, we developed radial‐gradient BiO(Cl, Br) nanosheets. This architecture breaks the centrosymmetry of BiOCl to invoke robust piezoelectricity while simultaneously amplifying flexoelectricity through built‐in mechanical heterogeneity. Driven by a triple‐field synergism of built‐in, piezo‐, and flexoelectric fields, the BiO(Cl, Br) nanosheets achieve a high H 2 O 2 production rate of 742.2 µmol g −1 h −1 , approximately 423% of pristine BiOCl. Theoretical analysis reveals that the mechanical strain and Br doping synergistically modulate the work function and the p ‐band center, facilitating spin‐selective O 2 orbital coupling and reducing the activation barrier for superoxide formation. This work provides an effective strategy to break through symmetry constraints in piezocatalysis, paving the way for the rational design of high‐performance mechano‐catalysts through gradient engineering.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2026-05-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.73536
Primary Topic
Nonlocal and gradient elasticity in micro/nano structures
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Breaking Symmetry via Bamboo‐Inspired Gradient Engineering for Triple‐Field Synergistic H 2 O 2 Production

Daiming Liu, Chengchao Jin, Ling‐Xia Zhang, Jia-Hao Sun et al.
Advanced Materials
Nonlocal and gradient elasticity in micro/nano structures
article

Breaking Symmetry via Bamboo‐Inspired Gradient Engineering for Triple‐Field Synergistic H 2 O 2 Production

Daiming Liu, Chengchao Jin, Ling‐Xia Zhang, Jia-Hao Sun, Yu-Xing Cai, Zhi-Yu Gui, Lan Li, Xu‐Ting Qiu, Qiong Wu, Ke‐Qiang Shi, Zhi Chen
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Piezocatalysis is a promising chemical synthesis technique, but it is generally restricted to noncentrosymmetric materials, severely limiting catalyst selection. The flexoelectric effect bypasses this symmetry constraint. However, its catalytic contribution is often overlooked, as conventional materials generate only modest strain gradients. Inspired by the hierarchical radial gradients in natural bamboo, we developed radial‐gradient BiO(Cl, Br) nanosheets. This architecture breaks the centrosymmetry of BiOCl to invoke robust piezoelectricity while simultaneously amplifying flexoelectricity through built‐in mechanical heterogeneity. Driven by a triple‐field synergism of built‐in, piezo‐, and flexoelectric fields, the BiO(Cl, Br) nanosheets achieve a high H 2 O 2 production rate of 742.2 µmol g −1 h −1 , approximately 423% of pristine BiOCl. Theoretical analysis reveals that the mechanical strain and Br doping synergistically modulate the work function and the p ‐band center, facilitating spin‐selective O 2 orbital coupling and reducing the activation barrier for superoxide formation. This work provides an effective strategy to break through symmetry constraints in piezocatalysis, paving the way for the rational design of high‐performance mechano‐catalysts through gradient engineering.

Advanced Materials
Qingdao University (CN), Ningbo University (CN), Shanghai Institute of Ceramics (CN), China Jiliang University (CN)
National Key Research and Development Program of China, Key Research and Development Program of Zhejiang Province
Openalex Percentile: Top 12%
Nonlocal and gradient elasticity in micro/nano structures
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