Hydrogen evolution from silicon nanowire surfaces

Abstract

This paper presents the study on the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) of the silicon nanowire (SiNW)-based surfaces. Large-area SiNWs with different lengths were fabricated on the silicon surfaces by a cost effective and scalable wet-etching method. The SiNW-based surfaces promoted the photoelectrocatalytical performance of the electrodes due to the increased effective surface area for electrolyte diffusion and the fast release of hydrogen bubbles that formed on the electrodes. In addition, at different applied potentials, the nanostructured electrodes showed different behaviour that depended on the SiNWs' with different lengths and morphologies. For example, surfaces with longer SiNWs performed better in the low potential region, while surfaces with shorter SiNWs presented improved performance in the high potential region. The findings in this study provide new insights into designing electrodes with desired nanostructures for improved HER performance.