Piezo‐Electrocatalysis for CO 2 Reduction Driven by Vibration

Abstract With rising CO 2 emissions caused by the massive consumption of fossil fuels, it is highly desirable to develop strategies that adopt renewable energy to convert CO 2 into value‐added chemical feedstocks. Over the past decades, photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 using light energy has attracted considerable attention. However, the advanced photocatalysis techniques cannot exert their action where light is unavailable. Here, a method for CO 2 reduction on basis of vibration‐driven piezoelectricity to yield a piezo‐electrocatalysis effect which requires mechanical vibration rather than light, is proposed. Under mild vibration and sacrificial agent‐free conditions, the piezoelectric BaTiO 3 catalyst provides a suitable piezo‐potential to overcome the redox potential of CO 2 and convert it into CO with a maximum yield of 63.3 µmol g −1 , achieving a reactivity comparable to those of photocatalysts. The piezo‐electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction adds a new avenue in addition to the existing photocatalytic techniques by expanding the scope of energy utilization to promote carbon neutrality.