PHOTO-VOLTAIC EFFECT AT THE INTERFACE BETWEEN SEMICONDUCTOR AND ELECTROLYTE

A phenomenological theory of the photovoltage at a semiconductor/electrolyte interface is proposed. This theory was found to explain well the dependence of the photovoltage on the light intensity. The validity of the theory was proved experimentally. The slope of the curve of the photovoltage plotted against the logarithmic light intensity was found to be inversely proportional to the sum of the transfer coefficient and the corresponding coefficient of the photocurrent, which can explain the dependence of the slope on the kind of electrode and redox system. This work has possibilities for application to solar energy conversion.