Efficient Photocatalysts Made by Uniform Decoration of CuO Nanoparticles on Si Nanowire Arrays with Low Visible Reflectivity.

Highly uniformed decorations of CuO nanoparticles on the sidewalls of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with high aspect ratio were prepared through a two-step electroless deposition at room temperature. Morphology evolutions and photocatalytic performance of SiNWs decorated with aggregated and dispersed CuO nanoparticles were unveiled, and the correlated photodegradation kinetics was identified. In comparison with the conventional direct loadings where the aggregated CuO/SiNW structures were created, the uniform incorporation of CuO with SiNWs exhibited more than three and nine times of improved photodegradation efficiency than the aggregated-CuO/SiNWs and sole SiNWs, respectively.