Effect of Deformations on Photoluminescent and Piezo Catalytic Properties of ZnO Tetrapods

Abstract The interrelation of photoluminescent and piezocatalytic properties of ZnO is studied using as an example an array of tetrapods subjected to mechanical stretching and an array of tetrapods in an organic contaminant solution during ultrasonic treatment. The effect of tensile stresses on the luminescent properties is demonstrated: with a 4% elongation, the integral intensity of the ultraviolet photoluminescence band in ZnO tetrapods decreases by 25%, and its maximum is red-shifted by 1.27 nm. It has been shown that application of ultrasound with a frequency of 40 kHz and power of 120 W increases the efficiency of catalysis using ZnO tetrapods by 42%. The reason for the observed effects is the mechanically enhanced charge separation by piezoelectric fields. The mechanism of acceleration of catalysis under ultrasonic action is discussed.