Pd nanoparticles grown in-situ on the surface of silicon nanowires (Pd-SiNW nanocomposites) were employed as electrocatalysts in hydrogen evolution reaction and exhibited satisfactory catalytic performance. Here, SiNWs served as the carrier with vast surface area. It is interesting to note that Pd-SiNW nanocomposites were more stable for hydrogen evolution reaction than the commercial Pt/C catalysts, which might be attributed to the three-dimensional crisscrossing structure of the composites and the strong interaction between Pd and Si. The strong interaction is due to the low lattice mismatch in the epitaxial growth of Pd particles on the surface of Si. Such special structure and interaction help to tightly hold Pd nanoparticles, which could avoid the loss of catalysts and keep the catalyst from being agglomerated and growing large.

原位生长的Pd纳米颗粒硅纳米线（Pd-SiNW纳米复合材料）表面的氢被用作析氢反应的电催化剂，并表现出令人满意的催化性能。在此，SiNW被用作具有大表面积的载体。有趣的是，Pd-SiNW纳米复合材料比商业化的Pt / C催化剂对氢的释放反应更稳定，这可能归因于复合材料的三维交叉结构以及Pd和Si之间的强相互作用。强烈的相互作用是由于Si表面上Pd颗粒的外延生长中晶格失配低所致。这种特殊的结构和相互作用有助于紧密地固定Pd纳米颗粒，这可以避免催化剂的损失，并防止催化剂结块和长大。