Photo(electro)-piezo catalysis has emerged as one of the most effective strategies for sustainable environmental remediation. While various (nano)materials have been investigated for enhancing the intrinsic properties related to the interfacial band structure, increasing the efficiency by integration of materials with rational design for stress-strain applications has not yet been considered. Herein, we introduce kirigami strain engineering to photopiezo catalysts for enhancing efficiency by increasing the magnitude of applied strain and density of bends. Macroscale stretching motion is converted into localized bending by a pliable kirigami structure using similar or even lower input energy, which can be easily modulated by natural waves. The kirigami structure leads to a significant enhancement (∼250%) in the degradation of dyes, and we discovered the significant contribution of the oxygen reduction pathway in the charge-transfer mechanism, which corresponds to the observed enhancement. The photopiezo catalytic effects of kirigami were further highlighted by the small water reservoir test, showing its feasibility in nature for self-sustainable environmental remediation that can be modulated using motions of winds, waves, and life vibrations.
Keywords: ZnO nanorods; enhanced photopiezo catalysts; kirigami strain engineering; self-sustainable environment remediation; tetracycline degradation.