Boron Intercalation‐Induced Electronic Reconfiguration in Copper Vanadate: Synergistic Lattice Strain and Schottky Junction for High‐Efficiency Solar Hydrogen Production

ABSTRACT The practical application of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution is often hindered by insufficient charge separation and sluggish surface reaction kinetics. To address these challenges, this study constructs a boron‐intercalated Schottky junction composite based on Cu ₃ (V ₂ O ₇ )(OH) ₂ ·2H ₂ O (CVO). Through an in situ hydrothermal method, boron was incorporated into the CVO interlayers, which induced significant interfacial lattice strain and electronic coupling, thereby extending the visible‐light absorption range. The established CVO‐B Schottky junction generated a strong built‐in electric field, promoting directional electron transfer from boron to CVO, which effectively suppressed charge recombination and lowered the charge transfer resistance. The optimized CVO/B‐1:7 composite achieved an exceptional hydrogen evolution rate of 1366.08 µmol·h ⁻¹ ·g ⁻¹ , representing a 19 times enhancement over pristine CVO. Combined experimental and theoretical analyses further revealed that the interfacial engineering optimizes surface hydrophilicity, facilitates proton transport, and lowers the hydrogen adsorption free energy. This work offers a novel non‐noble metal interfacial modulation strategy and provides fundamental insights into the rational design of high‐performance Schottky‐junction photocatalysts.