Although copper-based chalcopyrite materials such as CuInS2 have been considered promising photocathodes for solar water splitting, the fabrication route for a nanostructure with vertical orientation has not yet been developed. Here, a fabrication route for vertically aligned CuInS2 nanorod arrays from an aqueous solution using anodic aluminum oxide template-assisted growth and transfer is presented. The nanorods exhibit a phase-pure CuInS2 chalcopyrite structure and cathodic photocurrent response without co-catalyst loading. Small particles of CdS and ZnS were conformally decorated onto CuInS2 nanorods using a successive ion layer adsorption and reaction method. With surface modification of CdS/ZnS, the photoelectrochemical properties of CuInS2 nanorod arrays are enhanced via flat-band potential shift, as determined by analyses of onset potential and Mott-Schottky plots.
Keywords: CuInS2; anodic aluminum oxide template; growth and transfer; nanorod arrays; photoelectrochemical water splitting; surface modification.