(Invited) In Situ Time-Resolved Probe of Charge Carrier Dynamics at Planar Semiconductor Photoelectrode/Liquid Interface

Abstract

Photoelectrochemical cells are a promising approach for converting solar energy to storable chemical energy in chemical fuels. The efficiency of these devices depends critically on efficient transfer of charge carrier across the electrode liquid interface and the efficiency and selectivity of the catalytic reaction on electrode surface. Although transient absorption spectroscopy is a powerful tool for probing interfacial dynamics in high surface area electrodes, it is often not applicable on planar electrodes because the observed signal is often dominated by carrier dynamics in the bulk. In this talk, we discuss our recent effort in developing in situ time-resolved linear and nonlinear spectroscopic tools that can be used to probe carrier dynamics and reactions at planar electrode/liquid interfaces, focusing on transient reflection spectroscopy. Compared to transient absorption, this method is more sensitive to surface carrier density that can be more directly correlated to catalysis. We showed that transient reflectance change can be used to follow charge carrier dynamics and their amplitude can be directly correlated to IPCE of water reduction on p-GaP single crystals protected by TiO2 ALD layer. Our finding suggests that IPCE is determined by the efficiency of initial ultrafast (< hundreds of ps) charge separation across the GaP/TiO2 interface despite the much slower water reduction reaction. Key loss mechanisms that limits the IPCE are also discussed.