Thermo-electrochemical coupling for room temperature thermocatalysis in pyroelectric ZnO nanorods

A strong thermo-electrochemical coupling in solvothermally-synthesized ZnO nanorods is achieved by combining pyroelectric effects and electrochemical oxidation, and is employed for room temperature thermocatalysis. Under 22–62 °C heating–cooling cycles, ZnO nanorods are shown to possess high thermocatalytic activity for Rhodamine B, resulting in ~ 98.15% decomposition. The active species are shown to be hydroxyl and superoxide radicals generated from the reaction between pyroelectrically-induced charges and the hydroxyl ions/oxygen gas in solution. After being recycled six times, the ZnO shows no decrease in thermocatalytic activity. Thermocatalysis offers a non-toxic, highly efficient, recyclable approach for utilization of thermal energy at room temperature.