Oxalic acid functionalization of BaTiO3 nanobelts for promoting their piezo-degradation organic contaminants

Abstract Surface functionalization of piezoelectric greatly determines its piezo-catalytic activity and selectivity in that functional group affect specific reactants’ surface adsorption and activation abilities. Herein, we propose chemical functionalization on the surface of nano-scaled BaTiO3 piezoelectric via a one-pot hydrothermal process using polyethylene glycol as surfactant, and evaluate its piezo-catalytic activity and selectivity by degrading model antibiotic and dye reactants under ultrasonic vibrations. Acetate or/and oxalic unidentate ligands on the surface of BaTiO3 nanobelts can be formed by controlling precursor and hydrothermal parameters. Particularly, oxalic acid functionalized BaTiO3 nanobelts presented a high piezo-catalytic rate constant of 0.068 min-1 for Rhodamine B solution and maintained >87% degradation efficiency within 30 min under the condition of ultrasonic bath with 40 kHz and 100 W, which was mainly ascribed to piezo-sensitization effect. This work provides references for the preparation of chemical functionalized catalysts and also contributes to the development of novel catalysts for special applications.