Oxygen Vacancy Engineering and Rare Earth Ion Modification in Er-Doped Bi0.5na0.5tio3-Batio3for Piezo-Photocatalysis

Abstract

The pursuit of high-performance piezo-photocatalysts through structural modifications has been a focal point of investigation within the realm of related scientific disciplines. In this study, we successfully designed Er-doped Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-BaTiO3 combined with rare earth ion doping and solid solution modification, and the prepared particles exhibited homogeneous grain sizes and optimized concentrations of oxygen vacancies ( ). The synergistic incorporation of  (accelerator for catalytic reaction) and Er3+ results in an impressive 12-fold enhancement of the piezo-photocatalytic rate when degrading the Rhodamine B dye. The optimal composition 0.96BNT-0.04BT-Er demonstrates outstanding electrochemical properties, including a superior photocurrent response and minimal impedance, highlighting its exceptional performance in piezo-photocatalysis. The fundamental enhancement in catalytic performance can be attributed to the reconfiguration of the band structure of 0.96BNT-0.04BT-Er, which has been meticulously calculated utilizing DRS and VB-XPS and the internal mechanism was explained in detail. This research serves as a source of inspiration for the investigation of solid solutions among piezo-photocatalysts and sheds light on the vital role of band structure in governing catalytic performance.

Keywords: solid solution, Er-doped Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-BaTiO3, piezo-photocatalysis, degradation, oxygen vacancy