Piezoelectrochemical effect: Mechanical energy induced redox reaction in aqueous solutions through vibrating piezoelectric materials

We propose a phenomenon of piezoelectrochemical (PZEC) effect for the direct conversion of mechanical energy to chemical energy. This phenomenon is further applied for generating hydrogen and oxygen via direct water decomposition by means of as-synthesized piezoelectric quartz (SiO2) nano-rods, ZnO microfibers, and BaTiO3 microdendrites. The materials are vibrated with ultrasonic waves leading to a strain-induced electric charge development on their surface. With sufficient electric potential, the strained piezoelectric materials in water triggered the redox reaction of water to produce hydrogen and oxygen gases. All materials have indicated a well response to the external mechanical vibration to drive the desired chemical reactions. ZnO fibers under ultrasonic vibrations showed a stoichiometric ratio of H 2/O2 (2:1) initial gas production from pure water. The efficiency of the piezoelectrochemical effect was calculated by ratio of the chemical energy output over the mechanical energy input of the system. The study of piezoelectrochemical effect is further applied to the environmental cleaning technology. Accordingly, a dissolved orange dye (AO7) was decomposed via mechanical driving force by using BaTiO3 microdendrites. Kinetic details of the dye decomposition through piezoelectrochemical effect were investigated. In addition, the piezoelectrochemical effect was proposed to the implication of tectonic hydrogen in geological systems providing insights of hydrogen generation in active fault zones. The tectonic hydrogen produced through PZEC effect could be a sustainable energy source for subsurface microbial community.;This study provides a simple and cost-effective technology for generating hydrogen fuels as well as environmental cleaning by scavenging energy wastes such as noise or stray vibrations from the environment. This new piezoelectrochemical effect may have potential implications in solving the challenging energy and environmental issues that we are facing today and in the future.