Fabrication and photoelectrochemical properties of interdigitated array microelectrodes consisting of optically transparent and nontransparent band electrodes
- Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., Atsugi, Kanagawa (Japan). NTT Basic Research Labs.
Photogalvanic cells based on the photoinduced redox reactions of two redox couples can convert solar energy. However, their conversion efficiency is poor because of the recombination of photochemically produced active species before they reach the electrodes and the two-way electrode processes of those species. In an attempt to improve the conversion efficiency, the use of closely spaced electrodes structures has been proposed, such as a thin-layer photocell with a transparent electrode. A lithologic fabrication method for a new interdigitated array microelectrode (IDA) consisting of optically transparent (ITO) and nontransparent (Pt) arrays of band electrodes on a quartz substrate is presented. The new IDA is applied to the Ru(bpy){sub 3}{sup 2+}-Fe{sup 3+} photogalvanic system. The effective separation of photoinduced active species between very closely spaced electrodes is achieved by utilizing the shadow of the nontransparent electrode generated by illumination from the rear of the IDA. This back-illumination method using the new IDA is effective in increasing the conversion efficiency.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 122700
- Journal Information:
- Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol. 142, Issue 9; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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