Recently, the interdisciplinary TFML-MMSH research group, co-led by Researcher Zhang Le and Professor Yang Sen from the School of Physics at Xi'an Jiaotong University, in collaboration with Professor Wang Dong from the Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, has made remarkable strides in the development of innovative piezoelectric catalytic materials. Their groundbreaking findings have been accepted for online publication in Advanced Functional Materials, a prestigious international journal dedicated to materials science.

As industrial production expands, the utilization of toxic dyes has surged annually, raising significant concerns over water contamination. These pollutants, resistant to natural degradation, can infiltrate soil and groundwater, thereby disrupting ecosystems. Conventional treatment methods exhibit low efficiency in degrading toxic dyes, leading to prolonged pollutant persistence and posing threats to the survival of both flora and fauna, as well as human health.

Previously, researchers have endeavored to tackle this issue using semiconductor ferroelectric materials. However, these materials are hindered by their inefficient utilization of light energy and sluggish charge carrier separation rates, resulting in extended treatment cycles and degradation efficiencies that struggle to surpass 90%.

Recently, the research team unveiled a novel lead-free and eco-friendly La-doped (Bi,Na)TiO₃ (BNL3T) ferroelectric nanoparticle. Through photoluminescence spectroscopy tests, this nanoparticle demonstrated an almost 100% degradation rate of Rhodamine B, a commonly used dye, within an exceptionally short timeframe.