SILICON NANOWIRES FOR PHOTOCATALYSIS: PRODUCING HYDROGEN AND TREATING WASTEWATER

Abstract

Wastewaters frequently contain organic contaminants that are harmful and may have adverse effects on human health and aquatic life when they are exposed. Photocatalysis for water purification has drawn a lot of attention lately. Additionally, the utilization of solar energy to break down water and create hydrogen has sparked a lot of interest. Photocatalysis functions at normal temperatures and atmospheric pressure, is inexpensive, produces no secondary waste, and is widely available and easily accessible, to name a few of its many benefits. There must be an economically viable method for employing photocatalysis to split water using solar energy. It is therefore extremely important to come up with substitute, cost-effective, earth-abundant materials with superior catalytic qualities. In general robust catalytic activity, outstanding stability, and inexpensive production costs are essential qualities of effective photocatalysts. There has been a lot of curiosity in investigating highly stable and active photocatalysts for hydrogen production and dye degradation in visible light. Here in this study, a silicon wafer is chemically etched with the assistance of metal to create porous silicon nanowires. The resultant porous silicon nanowires show a broad spectrum absorption spanning the whole ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regime collectively with a huge surface area. We additionally exhibit controlled-length silicon nanowires. The combination of these advancements makes porous silicon nanowires an interesting material for use in photocatalysis. Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) are among the materials that have proven to be an effective photo-catalyst for the start of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). We further demonstrate that porous silicon nanowires are useful for treating organic waste and cleaning up the environment because they can be employed as efficient photocatalysts for the photocatalytic destruction of harmful contaminants and organic dyes under visible light. Porous silicon nanowire has recently been considered as a viable option for completely eliminating common organic contaminants as well as for solar energy collecting using the metal-assisted chemical etching process.