Silicon nanostructures exhibit promising application potentials in many fields in comparison with their bulk counterpart or other semiconductor nanostructures. Therefore, the exploiting of controllable fabrication methods of silicon nanostructures, and the exploring of further applications of silicon nanostructures gain extensive attentions. In this review, recent advances in metal-assisted chemical etching of silicon, a low-cost and versatile method enabling fine control over morphology feature of silicon nanostructures, are summarized. The overview concerning the applications of silicon nanostructures in the field of energy conversion and storage, and sensors are also presented. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.