LAUSR

Abstract A strong piezo-electrochemical effect is realized in hydrothermally synthesized multiferroic BiFeO 3 micro-sheets via the product of the piezoelectric effect and the electrochemical redox effect. A novel mechanocatalysis originating from the piezo-electrochemical effect is designed to decompose dye wastewater under vibration condition on the basis of the following mechanism: When subjected to mechanical vibration, the BiFeO 3 micro-sheets' surfaces will generate a large number of positive and negative electrical charges due to the piezoelectric effect of multiferroic materials, which further induces the chemical redox decomposition reaction in dye wastewater. A ~ 95% mechanocatalytic decomposition ratio of BiFeO 3 is achieved for a Rhodamine B wastewater (~ 10 mg/L) and there is almost no decrease of mechanocatalytic performance after recycling BiFeO 3 catalysts for five times. Strong oxidation middle active species, such as OH • , were also observed, which suggested the strong piezo-electrochemical coupling in BiFeO 3 micro-sheets. Piezo-electrochemical mechanocatalysis of BiFeO 3 micro-sheets has potential in developing a non-toxic, highly efficient and reusable technology for chemical catalysis by using environmental vibration waste energy.