A Dual‐Piezoelectric Metal–Organic Cage/COF Z‐Scheme Heterojunction for Solar‐Mechanical Water Splitting

Read full text
Authors: Xin‐Ao Li, Yixuan Wang, Zi‐Zhan Liang, Xin‐Bang Peng, Limin Xiao, Li Gong, Xinyi Yang, Bo Zou, Yecheng Zhou, Jun‐Min Liu
Cited by: 2
References: 45

Abstract

ABSTRACT Developing efficient solar‐mechanical energy conversion systems is crucial for sustainable H 2 /H 2 O 2 production. We report an unprecedented piezoelectric metal–organic cage (MOC‐FA3), integrated with piezoelectric β‐ketoenamine COF (S‐COF) into a Z‐scheme heterojunction via supramolecular interactions. The non‐centrosymmetric piezoelectricity of MOC‐FA3 is confirmed by multimodal characterization (KPFM, piezoelectric coefficient measurement, and in situ spectroscopy) and piezocatalytic H 2 /H 2 O 2 production (334.3/203.6 µmol g −1 h −1 ). Under ultrasound (60 W, 40 kHz) and AM 1.5G, the heterojunction achieves exceptional synergistic pure water splitting at 1297.6 H 2 and 1304.2 H 2 O 2 µmol g −1 h −1 , among the highest for COF‐based piezo‐photocatalysts, with 1.95‐fold and 2.06‐fold enhancements over S‐COF. This stems from Z‐scheme charge transfer coupled with piezoelectric‐field‐enhanced separation. Experimental results and DFT calculations identify Pd sites (H 2 evolution) and C 2 ‐C 3 sites (2e − water oxidation → H 2 O 2 ), with in situ EPR confirming •OH intermediates. This work introduces MOCs as a new piezoelectric material class, demonstrating synergistic Z‐scheme/piezoelectric coupling for mechano‐photonic energy conversion.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications Covalent Organic Framework Applications Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics

Publication details

Journal / source
Advanced Science
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
13
Issue
10
Pages
e23030–e23030
Publication date
4 January 2026
Language
EN