Gold-Decorated Silicon Nanowire Photocatalysts for Intracellular Production of Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) plays diverse biological roles, and its effects in part depend on its spatiotemporal presence, in both intra- and extracellular contexts. A full understanding of the physiological effects of H2O2in both healthy and disease states is hampered by a lack of tools to controllably produce H2O2. Here, we address this issue by showing visible-light-induced production of exogenous H2O2by free-standing, gold-decorated silicon nanowires internalized in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. We further show that the photocatalytic production of H2O2is a general phenomenon of gold–silicon hybrid materials and is enhanced upon annealing.