@article{Thalluri2018, 
author = {Sitaramanjaneva Mouli Thalluri and Jerome Borme and Kang Yu and Junyuan Xu and Isilda Amorim and Joao Gaspar and Liang Qiao and Paulo Ferreira and Pedro Alpuim and Lifeng Liu},
title = {Conformal and continuous deposition of bifunctional cobalt phosphide layers on p-silicon nanowire arrays for improved solar hydrogen evolution},
year = {2018},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {11},
number = {9},
pages = {4823-4835},
keywords = {solar-driven hydrogen evolution, silicon nanowire, cobalt phosphide, photoelectrochemical water splitting, drop-casting},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.1007/s12274-018-2070-4},
doi = {10.1007/s12274-018-2070-4},
abstract = {Vertically aligned p-silicon nanowire (SiNW) arrays have been extensively investigated in recent years as promising photocathodes for solar-driven hydrogen evolution. However, the fabrication of SiNW photocathodes with both high photoelectrocatalytic activity and long-term operational stability using a simple and affordable approach is a challenging task. Herein, we report conformal and continuous deposition of a di-cobalt phosphide (Co2P) layer on lithography-patterned highly ordered SiNW arrays via a cost-effective drop-casting method followed by a low-temperature phosphorization treatment. The as-deposited Co2P layer consists of crystalline nanoparticles and has an intimate contact with SiNWs, forming a well-defined SiNW@Co2P core/shell nanostructure. The conformal and continuous Co2P layer functions as a highly efficient catalyst capable of substantially improving the photoelectrocatalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and effectively passivates the SiNWs to protect them from photo-oxidation, thus prolonging the lifetime of the electrode. As aconsequence, the SiNW@Co2P photocathode with an optimized Co2P layer thickness exhibits a high photocurrent density of–21.9 mA·cm-2 at 0 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode and excellent operational stability up to 20 h for solar-driven hydrogen evolution, outperforming many nanostructured silicon photocathodes reported in the literature. The combination of passivation and catalytic functions in a single continuous layer represents a promising strategy for designing high-performance semiconductor photoelectrodes for use insolar-driven water splitting, which may simplify fabrication procedures andpotentially reduce production costs.}
}