title: Stabilized and Improved Photoelectrochemical Responses of Silicon Nanowires Modified with Ag@SiO2Nanoparticles and Crystallized TiO2Film.
abstract: Semiconductor nanostructure photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells for sunlight conversion have the potential to supply continuous, low-cost, high-efficiency and carbon-free energy; however, in order to provide economically competitive energy, long-time stability and high-efficiency are requisite. In this work, the saturation photocurrent density (Jsat) and stability of the silicon nanowires (SiNWs) in a PEC cell are significantly improved via surface modification with Ag@SiO2nanoparticles and conformal TiO2ultrathin film. Compared to the bare SiNWs, a 40% enhancement in Jsat, a cathodic shift of 0.8 V in the applied potential for Jsat, and over 10-h continuous operation with a high photocurrent density without decay are realized by using the properly modified SiNWs. Comparison of minority carrier lifetime indicates that the surface recombination of the modified SiNWs has been effectively suppressed. External quantum efficiency measurements reveal that the superstable and improved PEC responses of the modified SiNWs can be maintained for a broadband spectrum. This work provides an alternative route to the industrial applications for the semiconductor nanostructure PEC cells.
authors.affiliation: College of Physics, Optoelectronics and Energy & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University , Suzhou 215006, China.|Key Lab of Advanced Optical Manufacturing Technologies of Jiangsu Province & Key Lab of Modern Optical Technologies of Education Ministry of China, Soochow University , Suzhou 215006, China.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: College of Physics, Optoelectronics and Energy & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University , Suzhou 215006, China.|Key Lab of Advanced Optical Manufacturing Technologies of Jiangsu Province & Key Lab of Modern Optical Technologies of Education Ministry of China, Soochow University , Suzhou 215006, China.
authors.forename: Shaolong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: College of Physics, Optoelectronics and Energy & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University , Suzhou 215006, China.|Key Lab of Advanced Optical Manufacturing Technologies of Jiangsu Province & Key Lab of Modern Optical Technologies of Education Ministry of China, Soochow University , Suzhou 215006, China.
authors.forename: Jimu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: College of Physics, Optoelectronics and Energy & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University , Suzhou 215006, China.|Key Lab of Advanced Optical Manufacturing Technologies of Jiangsu Province & Key Lab of Modern Optical Technologies of Education Ministry of China, Soochow University , Suzhou 215006, China.
authors.forename: Xiongfei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhai
authors.affiliation: College of Physics, Optoelectronics and Energy & Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology, Soochow University , Suzhou 215006, China.|Key Lab of Advanced Optical Manufacturing Technologies of Jiangsu Province & Key Lab of Modern Optical Technologies of Education Ministry of China, Soochow University , Suzhou 215006, China.
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: Si nanowires; TiO2 passivation; metal−insulator core−shell nanoparticles; photoelectrochemical cells; stabilization