Using an ultrathin (2 nm) evaporated Ti film to replace the native SiO2 of the n-Si photoanode and then coating it by thin (2 nad 5 nm) Ni layers, the resulting 2 nm Ni/2 nm Ti coated n-Si photoanodes (without the native SiO2) reach a photocurrent onset potential of –42mV relative to SCE reference electrode in 1 M KOH under 1 simulated sun illumination (–202 mV relative to the potential for oxygen evolution reaction). With increasing the thickness of the Ni layer to 5 nm, the 5 nm Ni/2 nm Ti/n-Si photoanodesshow 50 mV lower onset potential than 5 nm Ni directly coated on nativeSiO2/n-Si photoanodes and exhibit a very stable photoelectrochemical performance, which keep 100 % activity (10 mA/cm2 at 0.8 V vs. SCE) for ~6.5 days. These results can be comparable to those of the typical NiOX coated n-Si photoanodes with n-p+ buried homojunctions. Using Ti layer to replace the native SiO2 of the n-Si photoanodes increases the conductivity of the sample, which can help the charge transfer process. The interlayer Ti film absorbs the oxygen from nearby layers or from the atmosphere, making the Ti layer partially oxidized. The in situ TiOxlayer formed from Ti has more electron defects than the ALD deposited TiO2, which speeds up the hole conduction process.