Photochronocoulometric measurement of the coverage of surface-bound dyes on titanium dioxide crystal surfaces

Atomically flat terraced single-crystal anatase and rutile surfaces can be prepared allowing for the reproducible adsorption of covalently attached sensitizing dyes. Once reproducible surfaces and dye coverages are achieved, a photochronocoulometric technique is developed to measure the surface coverage of the dyes, an important parameter in determining the efficiency of sensitization. The surface-bound dyes are irreversibly oxidized by exposure to a light pulse with the n-type oxide semiconductor electrode held in depletion. A double-exponential decay of the subsequent photocurrent is then measured, where the integration of the faster decay is associated with the adsorbed dye coverage and the second much slower decay is attributed to trace regenerators, including water, in the nonaqueous electrolyte. The ruthenium-based N3 dye shows the expected linear dependence of the rate constant on light intensity whereas a dicarboxylated thiacyanine dye shows a square root dependence of its photooxidation rate on light intensity. The sublinear response of the thiacyanine dye is discussed in terms of the more complex surface chemistry that is known for this family of sensitizing dyes.