Work

Mechanocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution on Centrosymmetric SnS Nanobelts: A Non-Piezoelectric Pathway

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Harnessing ubiquitous mechanical energy for chemical transformations is a grand challenge, primarily impeded by the crystallographic symmetry constraints of conventional piezocatalysts. Here, this long-standing paradigm is shattered by demonstrating potent mechanocatalytic activity in a centrosymmetric material. Synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method, unique SnS nanobelts exhibit a hydrogen evolution rate of 3889 µmol g−1 h−1 under mechanical vibration—achieved without any cocatalysts—a performance substantially surpassing that of most reported piezocatalysts and comparable to state-of-the-art photocatalytic systems. Moreover, the SnS nanobelts were also found to present good cyclic stability. This unprecedented activity was rationalized by the synergy between two effects: sonoluminescence, for which the material’s ideally suited band structure allows efficient photon capture, and flexoelectricity. Furthermore, direct electrical measurements confirmed that SnS generates a flexoelectric current under mechanical deformation, thereby driving the H2 evolution reaction. These findings not only expand the scope of potential mechanocatalysts by unlocking a vast and previously ignored territory of centrosymmetric materials but also offer valuable guidance and insights for designing high-efficiency, mechanically driven chemical reactions.

Source: Crystals

DOI: 10.3390/cryst15110940

Authors: Xiaotong Sun, Mingyang Chen, Bowen Zhang, Yawei Liu, Qi Liu, Xiaoqing Chen

Institutions: Central South University, Tianjin University, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,534