Abstract
•Piezocatalysis BaTiO3-portland cement composites are prepared for water treatment.•Cement composites can utilize ambient vibrations for pollutant removal.•Effect of poling on rate of the pollutant removal is reported.•Stable and reproducible performance indicate potential for practical application.
BaTiO3 (BT)-cement (50%wt) composites were successfully fabricated and subsequently poled under different conditions. These composites demonstrated the piezocatalysis effect under ultrasonication. Poling enhanced piezocatalysis performance multiple times as compared to that of as-calcined BT powder. Dyes such as methylene blue, rhodamine b, methyl orange and pharmaceutical (paracetamol) were selected as representative pollutants in water.These samples exhibit consistent performance up to five cycles of the piezocatalysis.