EXPERIMENTAL TIME SCALE OF GERISCHER DISTRIBUTION CURVES FOR ELECTRON-TRANSFER REACTIONS AT SEMICONDUCTOR ELECTRODES

Fluorescence decay of adsorbed cresyl violet molecules was measured on n-SnS2 electrodes where their stationary photoelectrochemical current approached the yield of one electron per absorbed photon. At very low coverage, θ≈10-2, the fluorescence decay was faster than 10 ps and was identified with electron injection from excited dye monomers into the wide conduction band of the semiconductor. The reaction path was adiabatic or at least borderline to the adiabatic case. The measurement provides a time scale for Gerischer's distribution curves that are commonly applied in the discussion of electron-transfer reactions at electrodes. © 1990, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.