Flexible artificial leaves for hydrogen production and methods for making

An apparatus for photochemical water splitting, comprising a device for absorbing solar visible radiation, the device including:

• a plurality of indium-rich nanowires, said nanowires having at least a top surface and a bottom surface;
• a metal contact layer, having at least a top surface and a bottom surface, and said metal contact layer being affixed to the top surface of each nanowire;
• and
• a supporting layer, having at least a top surface and a bottom surface and being affixed to the top surface of the metal layer, wherein the supporting layer has one or more holes, said holes situated from the top surface of the supporting layer through the bottom surface of the supporting layer, said holes having a diameter and a depth, and wherein the location of the each hole corresponds to an exposed area of the metal contact layer;
• wherein when the device is exposed to optical energy, said device can absorb said optical energy.