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Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Silicon Metal-oxide-semiconductor Quantum Dots for Single-electron Pumping
Published on: June 3, 2015
Tailoring the photoelectrochemistry of catalytic metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) photoanodes by a dissolution
G Loget1, C Mériadec2, V Dorcet3
1Univ Rennes, CNRS, ISCR (Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes)-UMR6226-ScanMAT-UMS2001, F-35000, Rennes, France. gabriel.loget@univ-rennes1.fr.
Abstract:
Apart from being key structures of modern microelectronics, metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) junctions are highly promising electrodes for artificial leaves, i.e. photoelectrochemical cells that can convert sunlight into energy-rich fuels. Here, we demonstrate that homogeneous Si/SiOx/Ni MIS junctions, employed as photoanodes, can be functionalized with a redox-active species and simultaneously converted into high-photovoltage inhomogeneous MIS junctions by electrochemical dissolution. We also report on the considerable enhancement of performance towards urea oxidation, induced by this process. Finally, we demonstrate that both phenomena can be employed synergistically to design highly-efficient Si-based photoanodes. These findings open doors for the manufacturing of artificial leaves that can generate H2 under solar illumination using contaminated water.
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