Understanding piezocatalysis of barium titanate in solution from quantum-continuum-electrochemical theory

Abstract Piezocatalysis has shown great potential in non-invasive medical treatment and pollutant removal. Since piezocatalysis usually occurs in solution, capturing the effect of the solution is essential in mechanistic study. However, conventional theoretical methods cannot handle the interaction...

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Main Authors: Xiangyu Zhu, Cheng Zhan, Erjun Kan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:npj Computational Materials
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-025-01746-8
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author Xiangyu Zhu
Cheng Zhan
Erjun Kan
author_facet Xiangyu Zhu
Cheng Zhan
Erjun Kan
author_sort Xiangyu Zhu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Piezocatalysis has shown great potential in non-invasive medical treatment and pollutant removal. Since piezocatalysis usually occurs in solution, capturing the effect of the solution is essential in mechanistic study. However, conventional theoretical methods cannot handle the interaction between the solution and the piezocatalysts, which leads to a huge discrepancy between the simulated scenarios and the actual working condition of piezocatalysis. Here, we first propose the quantum-continuum-electrochemical (QCE) method to elucidate the general mechanism of piezocatalysis in solution. Taking barium titanate (BaTiO3, BTO) as an example, our QCE method can directly calculate the redox potential of the piezocatalyst and quantitatively predict of how material and solution properties modulate piezocatalytic activity. Our work provides a brand-new theoretical framework to dissect the piezocatalysis in solution, which not only advances the mechanistic understanding of piezocatalysis but also brings guidance to the experimental design of piezocatalysts for non-invasive medical treatment.
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spelling doaj-art-feca77bc16bd42e3ab2eaddab40b07722025-08-20T03:46:23ZengNature Portfolionpj Computational Materials2057-39602025-08-011111910.1038/s41524-025-01746-8Understanding piezocatalysis of barium titanate in solution from quantum-continuum-electrochemical theoryXiangyu Zhu0Cheng Zhan1Erjun Kan2MIIT Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Microstructure and Quantum Sensing, Nanjing University of Science and TechnologyMIIT Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Microstructure and Quantum Sensing, Nanjing University of Science and TechnologyMIIT Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Microstructure and Quantum Sensing, Nanjing University of Science and TechnologyAbstract Piezocatalysis has shown great potential in non-invasive medical treatment and pollutant removal. Since piezocatalysis usually occurs in solution, capturing the effect of the solution is essential in mechanistic study. However, conventional theoretical methods cannot handle the interaction between the solution and the piezocatalysts, which leads to a huge discrepancy between the simulated scenarios and the actual working condition of piezocatalysis. Here, we first propose the quantum-continuum-electrochemical (QCE) method to elucidate the general mechanism of piezocatalysis in solution. Taking barium titanate (BaTiO3, BTO) as an example, our QCE method can directly calculate the redox potential of the piezocatalyst and quantitatively predict of how material and solution properties modulate piezocatalytic activity. Our work provides a brand-new theoretical framework to dissect the piezocatalysis in solution, which not only advances the mechanistic understanding of piezocatalysis but also brings guidance to the experimental design of piezocatalysts for non-invasive medical treatment.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-025-01746-8
spellingShingle Xiangyu Zhu
Cheng Zhan
Erjun Kan
Understanding piezocatalysis of barium titanate in solution from quantum-continuum-electrochemical theory
npj Computational Materials
title Understanding piezocatalysis of barium titanate in solution from quantum-continuum-electrochemical theory
title_full Understanding piezocatalysis of barium titanate in solution from quantum-continuum-electrochemical theory
title_fullStr Understanding piezocatalysis of barium titanate in solution from quantum-continuum-electrochemical theory
title_full_unstemmed Understanding piezocatalysis of barium titanate in solution from quantum-continuum-electrochemical theory
title_short Understanding piezocatalysis of barium titanate in solution from quantum-continuum-electrochemical theory
title_sort understanding piezocatalysis of barium titanate in solution from quantum continuum electrochemical theory
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41524-025-01746-8
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AT chengzhan understandingpiezocatalysisofbariumtitanateinsolutionfromquantumcontinuumelectrochemicaltheory
AT erjunkan understandingpiezocatalysisofbariumtitanateinsolutionfromquantumcontinuumelectrochemicaltheory