Solar‐Driven Hydrogen Evolution with Superior Efficiency by a Low‐Cost, Large‐Scale Synergetic Hybrid of 1D‐Si Nanowires/0D‐Au Nanoparticles/2D‐MoS2 Nanofilms

Abstract

The technology of semiconductor photocatalystshas become an important research area. 2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is recognized as a promising catalyst for photoelectrocatalytic and photocatalytic (PC) hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, owing to its 2D nature of low optical cross‐section, the effective light absorption needs to be further boosted. Herein, we dramatically amplify the light‐matter interaction by hybridizing these photocatalysts with plasmonic materials that present strong electromagnetic field confinement and with nanowires that offer efficient light management. Such a system is designed in the heterostructure of silicon nanowires (SiNW)/ gold nanoparticles (AuNP)/ MoS2 nanofilms (SiNW/AuNP/MoS2), which demonstrates excellent PC HER. The absorption frequency of 2D‐MoS2, the resonance frequency of the 0D‐AuNP, and the antireflection frequency of 1D‐SiNW match with the visible range, enabling this heterostructure to effectively utilize solar energy. Additionally, an optimal MoS2 nanofilm that is a mixture of 1 T and 2 H phases was prepared with high reproducibility using facile pyrolysis. Moreover, the SiNW substrate validates high antireflection properties, achieving 95% visible light absorption. In addition, SiNW forms a p–n junction with the MoS2 to facilitate charge separation. The synergetic hybrid of 1D‐SiNW/0D‐AuNP/2D‐MoS2 nanofilms exhibits the highest hydrogen generation rate of 246 mmol g−1 h−1.