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Piezo- and photocatalytic activity of ferroelectric ZnO:Sb thin films for the efficient degradation of Rhodamine-β dye pollutant.

The discovery of novel catalytic materials showing unprecedented properties and improved functionalities represents a major challenge to design advanced oxidation processes for wastewater purification. In this work, antimony (Sb) doping is proposed as a powerful approach for enhancing the photo- and piezocatalytic performances of piezoelectric zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films. To investigate the role played by the dopant, the degradation of Rhodamine-β (Rh-β), a dye pollutant widely present in natural water sources, is studied when the catalyst is irradiated by ultraviolet (UV) light or ultrasound (US) waves. Depending on the doping level, the structural, optical and ferroelectric properties of the catalyst can be properly set to maximize the dye degradation efficiency. Independently of the irradiation source, the fastest and complete dye degradation is observed in presence of the doped catalyst and for an optimal amount of the inserted dopant. Among ZnO:Sb samples, the most doped one (5 at.%) shows improved UV light absorption and photocatalytic properties. Conversely, the piezocatalytic efficiency is maximized using the lowest Sb amount (1 at.%). The superior ferroelectric polarization observed in this case highly favors the adsorption of electrically-charged species, in particular of the dye in the protonated form (Rh-β+) and of OH-, to the catalyst surface and the production of hydroxyl radicals responsible for dye degradation.