Recent progress on Ti-based piezo-photocatalysts for wastewater treatment

Abstract

Piezo-photocatalysis has emerged as a promising hybrid advanced oxidation process to eliminate resistant organic pollutants in wastewater via harnessing light irradiation and mechanical vibration. This process offers a synergistic enhancement of photocatalytic efficiency by coupling piezo-electricity with photocatalytic activity, addressing limitations of conventional photocatalysis, including rapid electron-hole pairs recombination and deactivation in the absence of illumination. We concisely review recent advancements in Ti-based piezo-electric semiconductors for wastewater treatment, focusing on research from 2020 to 2025. The studies included in this review are based on materials categorized into two main groups: integrated Ti-based piezo-photocatalysts and hybrid piezo-electric materials-incorporated TiO 2 photocatalysts. We critically discuss the impact of piezo-potential and corresponding internal electric fields on photoinduced charge separation and reactive oxygen species generation. Methodologies for assessing the piezo-electric and photocatalytic properties are explored. This review highlights piezo-photocatalysis’s potential applications and challenges, offering insights into future developments in advanced oxidation processes for wastewater treatment.