Porous SiC nanowire arrays as stable photocatalyst for water splitting under UV irradiation

In this study, we report the fabrication and photocatalytic properties of the oriented arrays of SiC nanowires on the Si substrate. The SiC nanowire arrays were prepared by carbonizing the Si nanowire arrays with the graphite powder at 1250 °C. The as-prepared SiC nanowires are highly porous, which endows them with a high surface-to-volume ratio. Considering the large surface areas and the high stability, the porous SiC nanowire arrays were used as photocatalyst for water splitting under UV irradiation. It was found that such porous SiC structure exhibited an enhanced and extremely stable photocatalytic performance.

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► Arrays of porous SiC nanowires prepared by a facile in situ carbonizing method.
► Utilizing the SiC nanowire arrays as photocatalysis for water splitting.
► Excellent photocatalytic performance under the UV irradiation.
► Very high stability of the SiC nanowire photocatalyst.