Novel assembly of an MoS2 electrocatalyst onto a silicon nanowire array electrode to construct a photocathode composed of elements abundant on the earth for hydrogen generation.

Mild-mannered catalyst: a novel procedure to load a MoS(2) co-catalyst onto the surface of silicon under mild-conditions (room temperature, atmospheric pressure, aqueous solution) by a photo-assisted electrodeposition process employing commercially available precursors is reported. The obtained Si-NW@MoS(2) photocathode showed similar catalytic activity for light-driven H(2) generation compared with a Si-NW@Pt photocathode.