Frontiers of research in photoelectrochemical solar energy conversion

The purpose of this article is to provide an outlook for future research in semiconductor electrochemistry. A historical perspective is first presented to frame the recent scientific and technological progress that has been made in the field. The remainder of the article provides an overview of two selected research projects at the frontier of photoelectrochemistry. The first example discusses how exploitation of a deliberately nanostructured interface can provide useful enhancements to the kinetics of interfacial charge transfer events and can allow the use of catalysts without suffering concomitant efficiency losses. The second example discusses a model system that is useful for elucidating the interconnections between the chemical modification, electrical properties, and electrochemical behavior of photoelectrode surfaces. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.