Photothermal deflection spectroscopy and photoconductivity studies of photoelectrochemical processes at (0001) n-CdS-electrolyte interfaces

Abstract

Photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS) was used to investigate the manner in which the degree of band bending in a photoelectrochemical cell (PEC), consisting of an illuminated n-CdS (0001) single crystal and a polysulphide electrolyte, affects the non-radiative recombination processes in the semiconductor. The photocurrent was also monitored simultaneously as a complementary energy conversion channel. The results show that PDS can be used successfully as an analytical tool for the understanding and interpretation of photoelectrochemical processes at the photoelectrode-electrolyte interface.