Group III-nitride nanowire structures for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible light irradiation

The performance of photochemical water splitting over the emerging nanostructured photocatalysts is often constrained by their surface electronic properties, which can lead to imbalance in redox reactions, reduced efficiency, and poor stability. We have investigated the impact of surface charge properties on the photocatalytic activity of InGaN nanowires. By optimizing the surface charge properties through controlled p-type dopant (Mg) incorporation, we have demonstrated an apparent quantum efficiency of similar to 17.1% and similar to 12.3% for InGaN nanowire arrays under visible light irradiation (400 nm-490 nm) in aqueous methanol and in the overall neutral-pH water splitting reaction, respectively. (C) 2015 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.