Unassisted self-healing photocatalysts based on Le Chatelier’s principle

Abstract Self-healing is a fundamental ability inherent in humans, plants, and other living organisms. To date, a variety of materials with self-healing properties have been developed. However, these materials usually require external inputs such as electric potentials or healing agents to initiate...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Aito Takeuchi, Yoshitaka Kumabe, Takashi Tachikawa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Communications Chemistry
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01500-7
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850243720952152064
author Aito Takeuchi
Yoshitaka Kumabe
Takashi Tachikawa
author_facet Aito Takeuchi
Yoshitaka Kumabe
Takashi Tachikawa
author_sort Aito Takeuchi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Self-healing is a fundamental ability inherent in humans, plants, and other living organisms. To date, a variety of materials with self-healing properties have been developed. However, these materials usually require external inputs such as electric potentials or healing agents to initiate or promote self-healing reactions. Herein, we present a novel self-healing mechanism that operates without any external input, utilizing the dynamic equilibrium between the solid-state and dissolved materials. We employed organic–inorganic perovskites to validate our strategy. Single-particle spectroscopy and imaging demonstrated the spontaneous self-healing of perovskites after photodamage under dynamic equilibrium conditions. Furthermore, we found that perovskites can generate hydrogen in both healed and damaged states. Remarkably, the perovskites exhibited hydrogen generation over four cycles of photodamage and self-healing. The proposed concept and experimental results provide valuable insights for the development of energy conversion and storage systems with improved long-term durability.
format Article
id doaj-art-9771d8538e0c4c5fad230b8dcaaebefa
institution OA Journals
issn 2399-3669
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series Communications Chemistry
spelling doaj-art-9771d8538e0c4c5fad230b8dcaaebefa2025-08-20T01:59:56ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Chemistry2399-36692025-04-01811810.1038/s42004-025-01500-7Unassisted self-healing photocatalysts based on Le Chatelier’s principleAito Takeuchi0Yoshitaka Kumabe1Takashi Tachikawa2Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-choDepartment of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-choDepartment of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai-choAbstract Self-healing is a fundamental ability inherent in humans, plants, and other living organisms. To date, a variety of materials with self-healing properties have been developed. However, these materials usually require external inputs such as electric potentials or healing agents to initiate or promote self-healing reactions. Herein, we present a novel self-healing mechanism that operates without any external input, utilizing the dynamic equilibrium between the solid-state and dissolved materials. We employed organic–inorganic perovskites to validate our strategy. Single-particle spectroscopy and imaging demonstrated the spontaneous self-healing of perovskites after photodamage under dynamic equilibrium conditions. Furthermore, we found that perovskites can generate hydrogen in both healed and damaged states. Remarkably, the perovskites exhibited hydrogen generation over four cycles of photodamage and self-healing. The proposed concept and experimental results provide valuable insights for the development of energy conversion and storage systems with improved long-term durability.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01500-7
spellingShingle Aito Takeuchi
Yoshitaka Kumabe
Takashi Tachikawa
Unassisted self-healing photocatalysts based on Le Chatelier’s principle
Communications Chemistry
title Unassisted self-healing photocatalysts based on Le Chatelier’s principle
title_full Unassisted self-healing photocatalysts based on Le Chatelier’s principle
title_fullStr Unassisted self-healing photocatalysts based on Le Chatelier’s principle
title_full_unstemmed Unassisted self-healing photocatalysts based on Le Chatelier’s principle
title_short Unassisted self-healing photocatalysts based on Le Chatelier’s principle
title_sort unassisted self healing photocatalysts based on le chatelier s principle
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-025-01500-7
work_keys_str_mv AT aitotakeuchi unassistedselfhealingphotocatalystsbasedonlechateliersprinciple
AT yoshitakakumabe unassistedselfhealingphotocatalystsbasedonlechateliersprinciple
AT takashitachikawa unassistedselfhealingphotocatalystsbasedonlechateliersprinciple