Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ Crystallized in 40Bi₂O₃‐40B₂O₃‐20TiO₂ Glass Matrix for Photo‐Piezocatalytic Dye Degradation

ABSTRACT

The coupling of photocatalysis and piezocatalysis has gained significant interest among researchers. In this study, we present the photo‐piezocatalytic activity exhibited by bismuth titanate (Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂) glass‐ceramics (BTO‐GC). BTO‐GC samples were prepared in a glass system of 40Bi₂O₃‐40B₂O₃‐20TiO₂ (in mol %) by using the melt‐quench technique. The catalyst was characterized by the X‐ray diffraction (XRD) technique and Raman spectroscopy for its structure and phase analysis. Surface morphology and chemical composition were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The catalytic performance of BTO‐GC was evaluated in photocatalysis, piezocatalysis, and photo‐piezocatalysis processes. Methylene blue (MB) dye degradation was evaluated by using a UV–Vis spectrophotometer. A maximum degradation performance of ~86% was achieved in the solar light photocatalysis process. This study highlights the synergistic photo‐piezocatalytic performance in glass‐ceramics and advances the understanding of its underlying mechanism.