PHOTOELECTROCHEMICAL BEHAVIOR OF THERMALLY ACTIVATED NATURAL PYRITE-BASED PHOTOELECTRODES

Natural pyrite-based photoelectrodes have been manufactured by the screen printing technique. Solid state investigation of the starting material, as well as of the thermally activated powders, has been carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). Information on the electrochemical reactivity of the surface has been obtained by cyclic voltammetry in alkaline solution. The air-treated electrodes have been shown to be photoactive when tested as photoanodes in polyiodide - containing photoelectrochemical cells. The maximum obtained efficiency for solar energy conversion was 0.5%. Formation of a heterostructure composed of FeS2 and Fe2O3 phases is considered to be a promising way for the development of low-cost devices in the direct conversion of solar energy.