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Materials scientists have long been exploring advanced materials for environmental and energy applications, with piezocatalysis emerging as a promising technology for sustainable solutions. BiFeO₃ (BFO), a versatile material known for its unique piezoelectric, multiferroic, and optical properties, has garnered significant attention for its potential in piezocatalysis, specifically for organic pollutant degradation, hydrogen production, CO₂ reduction, and sterilization.

Despite the progress in BFO research, challenges related to its performance optimization and mechanistic understanding persist. A recent review paper by a team of researchers from Harbin Institute of Technology, led by Professor Dawei Wang, presents a comprehensive analysis of BFO-based piezocatalysis, shedding light on its structural features, synthesis methods, optimization strategies, and diverse applications.

The paper, in Journal of Advanced Ceramics, offers an in-depth discussion of the piezocatalytic mechanisms, including energy band theory, screening charge effects, and displacement current theory, providing new insights into how the piezoelectric effect influences the redox processes during catalytic reactions.

"The multifaceted properties of BFO, coupled with its high piezoelectric performance, make it a highly promising candidate for piezocatalysis. Given the recent attention to BFO and its remarkable performance across various piezocatalytic applications, a comprehensive review of BFO in piezocatalysis is essential to drive further advancements and inspire the development of highly efficient BFO-based piezocatalytic systems," said Dawei Wang, professor at Harbin Institute of Technology, whose research focuses on advanced electronic ceramics and their applications in energy conversion.

In this review, the authors also address the previously underestimated ferroelectric polarization effect of BFO, particularly in CO₂ reduction, and provide a critical evaluation of its role in enhancing piezocatalytic activity. "This review bridges the gap between theoretical and practical applications of BFO in piezocatalysis, offering new perspectives on optimizing BFO-based systems for future applications," Wang added.

The review further explores the challenges associated with large-scale production, performance enhancement, and the need for better mechanistic understanding to push BFO-based piezocatalysis toward more efficient and sustainable systems. It also outlines the future directions of research, including the optimization of BFO synthesis methods, enhancement of piezoelectric properties, and addressing the real-world challenges for practical piezocatalytic applications.

"This comprehensive review not only provides an understanding of BFO's role in piezocatalysis but also sets the stage for future research to harness its full potential for environmental and energy applications," said Wang.

The work highlights the growing potential of BFO in piezocatalysis, offering both foundational insights and a roadmap for advancing high-efficiency piezocatalytic systems in the future.

Other contributors include Jian Dai, Zhenhao Fan, Hang Xie, Fu Huang, Yunfei Chang from the School of Instrumental Science and Engineering at Harbin Institute of Technology in Harbin, China; Yitao Jiao from the Institute of Applied Â鶹ÒùÔºics and Materials Engineering at University of Macau, in Macau, China; a Ahmad Azmin Mohamad from the School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering at Universiti Sains Malaysia in Malaysia; Yangke Long from Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology in Shenzhen, China.