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Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Synthesis of Hierarchical ZnO/CdSSe Heterostructure Nanotrees
Published on: November 29, 2016
Hierarchical carbon-silicon nanowire heterostructures for the hydrogen evolution reaction
Joonhee Moon1, Uk Sim2, Dong Jin Kim3
1Advanced Institute of Convergence Technology and Department of Chemistry, Graphene Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea. byunghee@snu.ac.kr and Advanced Nano-Surface Research Group, Korea Basic Science Institute, Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34133, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) opened up exciting possibilities in a variety of research fields due to their unique anisotropic morphologies, facile tuning capabilities, and accessible fabrication methods. The SiNW-based photoelectrochemical (PEC) conversion has recently been known to provide an efficiency superior to that of various photo-responsive semiconductor heterostructures. However, a challenge still remains in designing optimum structures to minimize photo-oxidation and photo-corrosion of the Si surface in a liquid electrolyte. Here, we report a simple method to synthesize hierarchically branched carbon nanowires (CNWs) on SiNWs utilizing copper vapor as the catalyst in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, which exhibits outstanding photocatalytic activities for hydrogen generation along with excellent chemical stability against oxidation and corrosion. Thus, we believe that the CNW-SiNW photoelectrodes would provide a new route to developing high-performing cost-effective catalysts essential for advanced energy conversion and storage technologies.
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