Park Seonhwa, Jeong Hui Yong, Kim Seokhwan, Peddigari Mahesh, Hwang Geon-Tae, Moon Geon Dae, Roh Jong Wook, Min Yuho
Regional Leading Research Center for Smart Energy System, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea.
Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea.
Nanoscale. 2025 Feb 6;17(6):2931-2960. doi: 10.1039/d4nr04415k.
As a leading Pb-free perovskite material (ABO-type), potassium sodium niobate (K,Na)NbO (KNN)-based ferroelectrics/piezoelectrics have been widely used in electronics, energy conversion, and storage due to their exceptional ability to interconvert mechanical and electrical energies. Beyond traditional applications, the piezoelectric potential generated by mechanical strain or stress modifies their energy band structures and facilitates charge carrier separation and transport, drawing increasing attention in emerging fields such as piezocatalysis and photo-piezocatalysis. With excellent piezoelectric properties, chemical/thermal stability, and strain-tuning capability, KNN-based materials show great promise for high-performance piezocatalytic applications. Coupling KNN with semiconductors exhibiting strong optical absorption to form heterojunctions further boosts performance by suppressing electron-hole recombination and promoting directed charge transfer, which is crucial for photo-piezocatalysis. The flexibility of KNN's perovskite structures also allows for modifications in chemical composition and crystal structure, enabling diverse design strategies such as defect engineering, phase boundary engineering, morphology control, and heterojunction formation. This review comprehensively explores the recent advancements in KNN-based piezocatalysis and photo-piezocatalysis, starting with an overview of their crystal structures and intrinsic properties. It then explores the role of piezoelectric potential in charge carrier dynamics and catalytic activity, followed by strategic design approaches to optimize efficiency in environmental remediation and energy conversion. Finally, the review addresses current challenges and future research directions aimed at advancing sustainable solutions using KNN-based materials in these applications.
作为一种领先的无铅钙钛矿材料（ABO型），铌酸钾钠（K，Na）NbO（KNN）基铁电体/压电体因其在机械能和电能相互转换方面的卓越能力，已广泛应用于电子、能量转换和存储领域。除了传统应用，由机械应变或应力产生的压电势会改变它们的能带结构，并促进电荷载流子的分离和传输，这在压电催化和光压电催化等新兴领域引起了越来越多的关注。基于KNN的材料具有优异的压电性能、化学/热稳定性和应变调节能力，在高性能压电催化应用中显示出巨大的潜力。将KNN与具有强光学吸收的半导体耦合形成异质结，通过抑制电子-空穴复合和促进定向电荷转移进一步提高性能，这对光压电催化至关重要。KNN钙钛矿结构的灵活性还允许对化学成分和晶体结构进行改性，从而实现多种设计策略，如缺陷工程、相界工程、形貌控制和异质结形成。本综述全面探讨了基于KNN的压电催化和光压电催化的最新进展，首先概述了它们的晶体结构和固有特性。然后探讨了压电势在电荷载流子动力学和催化活性中的作用，接着是优化环境修复和能量转换效率的策略设计方法。最后，本综述阐述了当前的挑战以及未来的研究方向，旨在推动在这些应用中使用基于KNN的材料实现可持续解决方案。
