Aluminum-catalyzed silicon nanopyramids grown using low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) are presented as an approach to silicon surface texturing. The nanopyramids are grown by vapor-liquid-solid growth using aluminum thin films on silicon. Silicon nanowires with hexagonal cross sections are formed at a growth temperature of 650 degrees C; as the temperature is increased to 700 degrees C, the wires become pyramid-shaped with triangular cross-sections. The silicon nanopyramids are single crystal and grow in the < 111 > direction with (112) facets, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Pyramid tapering increases with increasing growth temperatures and the pyramid arrays grown at 700 C show refiectivities between 4 and 6% between 400 nm and 800 nm and appear black to the eye. Based on these results, aluminum-catalyzed nanopyramids present themselves as a plausible alternative to etch-based silicon surface textures. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.