Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) prepared by metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) method have photoluminescence (PL) properties.However,the preparation conditions have great influence on the structure and luminescence properties of SiNWs.To obtain SiNWs with better structural morphology and luminescence properties,the H2O2 concentration,etching temperature and etching time were optimized.The results show that when the concentration of H2O2 in the etching solution is 0.5 mol/L and the temperature is 25 ℃,the etching rate is moderate,the SiNWs have the most uniform and regular structure,and the PL performance is the best.With the increase of etching time,the length of SiNWs and surface oxides show an increasing trend,and the diameter of SiNWs is about 100 nm.The orange-red PL spectrum is believed to be caused by the quantum confinement effect of silicon nanocrystals.With the increase of etching time,the two main luminescence peaks at 633 nm and 699 nm are blue shifted.The SiNWs etched for 4 min have a moderate structure and length,and the luminescence intensity is the strongest,which is an order of magnitude stronger than that etched for 12 min.SiNWs prepared by this method have important application potential in the fabrication of silicon nanostructured based optoelectronic devices.