Photoelectrochemical investigation of electrode–electrolyte interfaces using ultraviolet, pulsed laser irradiation

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Abstract
The irradiation of an electrode-electrolyte interface with light pulses of an excimer leser causes photocurrent pulses. On metal-electrolyte interfaces in the double-layer region, cathodic photocurrents were found to be caused by photoelectron emission into the electrolyte. If a thin oxide layer covers the electrode surface, anodic photocurrents occur because of electron-hole pair excitation in the semiconducting oxide and a charge separation in the gradient of the electric field across the oxide. The dependence of the anodic photocurrents on the light intensity shows that a threshold intensity and a saturation region can both be used for a characterization of the properties of the oxide layers.