OPEN-CIRCUIT PHOTOVOLTAGE AND CHARGE RECOMBINATION AT SEMICONDUCTOR LIQUID INTERFACES

A simple, quantitative relationship between the semiconductor surface recombination velocity (S(r)) and the open-circuit photovoltage (V(oc) ) of photoelectrochemical systems was derived and verified experimenta lly. Experimental results obtained for the n-Si/acetone-FeCp2+/0-LiClO 4 junction indicate that V(oc) is controlled by surface recombination. Quantitative analysis of the results using the derived expression yie lds values of the barrier height and S(r) that compare favorably with published data. Application of the equation to other semiconductor/liq uid junction cells suggests that the expression may be important in ev aluating and understanding the behavior of a wide range of photoelectr ochemical systems.