Citation: Zhemi Xu, Haolin Cui, Shule Zhang, Peiyuan Guan, Tianhao Ji, Jin Yan, Qianyu Li, Dewei Chu, Yunxuan Weng, Zhimin Ao, Yang Liu, Jian Jin. Facet engineering of metal-organic frameworks enables high piezoelectricity and piezocatalysis: A case study of ZIF-8[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(4): 111667. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111667 shu

Facet engineering of metal-organic frameworks enables high piezoelectricity and piezocatalysis: A case study of ZIF-8

Zhemi Xu ^{a, 1} ,
Haolin Cui ^{a, 1} ,
Shule Zhang ^a ,
Peiyuan Guan ^b ,
Tianhao Ji ^a ,
Jin Yan ^c ,
Qianyu Li ^d ,
Dewei Chu ^b ,
Yunxuan Weng ^{a, *,} ,
Zhimin Ao ^{d, *,} ,
Yang Liu ^{e, *,} ,
Jian Jin ^e

a.
School of Light Industry Science and Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China
b.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
c.
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
d.
Advanced Interdisciplinary Institute of Environment and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Wastewater Information Analysis and Early Warning, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai 519087, China
e.
State Key Laboratory of Bioinspired Interfacial Materials Science & College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China

wyxuan@th.btbu.edu.cn

zhimin.ao@bnu.edu.cn

yliu2023@suda.edu.cn

Received Date: 1 April 2025
Revised Date: 23 June 2025
Accepted Date: 31 July 2025
Available Online: 5 August 2025

Figures(7)

The exposure of specific facets in catalysts plays a pivotal role in surface/interface reactions. This study systematically explores facet engineering as a novel approach to enhancing the piezoelectric and piezo-photocatalytic capabilities of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), with a focus on ZIF-8 as a model compound. By selectively exposing specific facets-(100), (110), and a combination of both in mixed configurations, this research examines how facet orientation affects piezoelectric properties, charge separation efficiency, and catalytic performance. The ZIF-8 samples, identified as ZIF-8-RD, ZIF-8-CUBE, ZIF-8-TRD₁, and ZIF-8-TRD₂ demonstrated distinct catalytic activities in photocatalysis, piezocatalysis, and piezo-photocatalysis. Notably, ZIF-8-TRDs, with the mixed-facet exposure, showed superior catalytic performance, achieving up to 94% degradation of tetracycline (TC) in piezo-photocatalysis, a substantial improvement over the single-facet variant. This enhanced performance is attributed to the mixed facets' higher carrier concentration and superior charge separation facilitated by the increased internal piezoelectric potential. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations corroborate the experimental results, revealing that mixed facets contribute to a larger dipole moment, indicating greater structural asymmetry and piezoelectric efficiency. The findings underscore facet engineering as an effective strategy to optimize MOF-based catalysts, opening avenues for high-performance materials tailored for environmental remediation and sustainable energy applications. This work not only pioneers facet engineering in MOF piezo-photocatalysts but also opens new avenues for the development and enhancement of high-performance MOF in piezoelectricity.
- MOFs,
- Facet engineering,
- Piezoelectric properties,
- Piezo-photocatalysis
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