Photoelectrochemical responses of silicon nanowire arrays for light detection

► A light detector based on radial heterostructures of 1D semiconductor nanostructures is proposed. ► The detector performs high collection efficiency of photogenerated carriers. ► Photoelectrochemical responses of Si nanowires with different morphologies are investigated. ► The photoresponsivity of the black sample is 73 times larger than that of the planar silicon at 0.2 V.