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

Abstract

Mild-mannered catalyst: A novel procedure to load a MoS2 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@MoS2 photocathode showed similar catalytic activity for light-driven H2 generation compared with a Si-NW@Pt photocathode (see scheme).