Enhancement of NiTiO3 piezocatalytic hydrogen evolution by doping with large radius elements

Abstract

Piezocatalysis is a direct method for converting mechanical vibration into chemical energy. Herein, NiTiO₃ is used in the piezocatalytic hydrogen evolution field for the first time. The noncentral symmetry of NiTiO₃ is enhanced by doping with large radius elements. It is demonstrated that when a metal element replaces the sites of nickel, it results in lattice distortion and a higher piezoelectric response. In particular, Cd-doped NiTiO₃ exhibits the highest H₂ generation rate (1.52 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹), which is 13 times that of original NiTiO₃.