Large-area ordered P-type Si nanowire arrays as photocathode for highly efficient photoelectrochemical hydrogen generation.

In this Article, we report the successful fabrication of large-area ordered Si nanowire arrays (NWAs) by a cost-effective and scalable wet-etching process in combination with nanospheres lithography technique. The periodical Si NWAs are further investigated as photocathode for water splitting, with excellent hydrogen evolution performances with a maximum photocurrent density of 27 mA cm(-2) achieved, which is ∼2.5 times that of planar Si and random Si nanowires electrode. The greatly improved PEC performance can be attributed to the patterned and ordered NWs structure as a result of enhancement of the light harvesting as well as charge transportation and collection efficiency.