Robust Polarized Fields Generated by Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite Ferroelectrics Crystallization for Boosting...

Using sunlight and water to get hydrogen (H₂) offers a promising pathway toward a sustainable future. Severe recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs directly impedes photocatalytic H₂ production, while the strong polarized field from ferroelectric materials has been demonstrated to effectively promote charge separation. However, several drawbacks still remain, such as low piezoelectric coefficient, difficulty in forming a polarized field, and complex calcination preparation process. Herein, we present an in situ heterogeneous nucleation crystallization strategy for organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite ferroelectrics, involving heterogeneous crystallization on the surface of solid photocatalyst, the emanation of a polarized field, and the enhancement of photocatalytic H₂ production. Under the mechanical stimulus, a polarized field is generated with deformation of the molecular ferroelectrics, which reinforces the charge separation efficiency. Thus, photocatalytic H₂ production increases to 6.725 mmol g^-1 h^-1, almost 26-fold compared to the control C₃N₄ catalyst (0.255 mmol g^-1 h^-1). Our work demonstrates the extensive application of molecular ferroelectrics for high performance photocatalyst design with enhanced photocharge separation.