Improved Piezocatalytic Performance of Cs/KNN Decorated with CuS Nanoparticles for Dye Degradation

Niobate materials have garnered significant interest in recent years due to their potential applications across various fields. As a special property, piezoelectric catalysts based on niobate remain underexplored, primarily due to their chemical inertness and low piezoelectric activity. In this study, a novel 30 %CuS/0.01 %Cs/KNN composite has been successfully synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method by depositing CuS nanoparticles on the external surface of 0.01 %Cs/KNN cube. By controlling the loading amount of CuS, the catalytic degradation activity of title composite for methyl green MG reached the highest point of 99.5 % under low-power ultrasound (50 W), which is much higher than that of 0.01 %Cs/KNN (7.5 times) and CuS (5.5 times). In addition, piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and electrochemical tests demonstrated that the composites have good piezocatalytic properties. This work provides a meaningful strategy for promoting piezoelectric catalytic degradation using material compounding.