Fabrication of carbon-coated silicon nanowires for photoelectrochemical water splitting

Carbon was deposited onto silicon nanowires (SiNWs) via pyrolysis to form a high-performance Carbon/SiNWs photocathode. Compared with pristine SiNWs, the carbon-modified photocathode exhibited substantially enhanced photoelectrochemical performance, achieving a photocurrent density of -13 mA·cm[Formula: see text] at 0 V vs RHE and an onset potential of 0.60 V vs RHE, indicating a 0.42 V positive shift relative to unmodified SiNWs. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicated a reduction in charge transfer resistance ([Formula: see text]) from 1005 Ω (pristine) to 91 Ω (carbon-coated). These results demonstrate that carbon deposition is an effective strategy to enhance the photoelectrochemical performance of silicon-based photocathodes, offering direct relevance for solar energy conversion and water-splitting applications.