Lattice coherency engineering trigger rapid charge transport at the heterointerface of Te/InO@MXene photocatalysts for boosting photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

The establishment of heterojunctions has been demonstrated as an effective method to improve the efficiency of photocatalytic hydrogen production. Conventional heterojunctions usually have random orientation relationships, and heterointerfaces can hinder photogenerated carrier transport due to larger lattice mismatches, thus reducing the photoelectric conversion efficiency. In this study, a novel Te/InO@MXene lattice coherency heterojunction was prepared by leveraging the identical lattice spacing of InO (222) and Te (021) crystal face. The lattice consistency facilitates enhanced photogenerated carrier transport rate between the heterostructure interface of InO and Te. Furthermore, the incorporation of MXene, the electrons originating from Te 5p orbital achieve directional transfer in the heterojunction. This reduces the recombination of photogenerated electron - hole pairs and retains the photogenerated electrons with higher reducibility. The hydrogen production efficiency of Te/InO@MXene is 568.8 μmol/h g, which is 24 times higher than that of pristine InO, and it remains 90 % of its initial activity after six cycles. This study offers a novel approach to address the escalating carrier transfer resistance commonly observed in conventional heterojunctions.