Preparation, structure and photo-catalytic performances of hybrid Bi2SiO5 modified Si nanowire arrays

Bi2SiO5 modified Si nanowire array films were fabricated as photo-catalysts via dip-coating Bi(NO3)(3) on silver-assisted electroless wet chemical etching Si nanowires and subsequently annealing. The structures and morphologies of as-prepared samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrum, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results of photocatalytic experiments indicated that the Bi2SiO5 modified Si nanowire arrays benefit the improvement for efficient electron-hole separation and photo-catalytic stability, thereby possessing superior photo-degradation performance. These hybrid nanowire arrays will be promising materials for photo-catalysts and degradation agents. (C) 2011 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.