Semiconductor electrochemistry

Abstract

The properties of the semiconductor/electrolyte interface are reviewed with emphasis on basic physical principles and on electrode reactions taking place at the illuminated semiconductor electrolyte junction, since these are important in the context of photoelectrochemical solar cells and photoelectrolysis devices. The thermodynamic and kinetic factors that govern photoelectrochemical reactions are outlined, and the extension of basic theoretical concepts to nanostructured semiconductor electrodes is discussed in order to show how some ideas may need to be modified to take into account the size-dependent properties of systems with small-length scales.