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Australian Journal of Chemistry Australian Journal of Chemistry Society
An international journal for chemical science
RESEARCH ARTICLE

The dependence of the photocurrent at the metal-electrolyte interface on electrode potential

DB Matthews and SUM Khan

Australian Journal of Chemistry 28(2) 253 - 265
Published: 1975

Abstract

The Gurney theory of charge transfer at the metal-electrolyte interface is extended to the case of photoemission. It is found that the simple Gurney model is not sufficient to explain the results observed by a number of independent workers. In order to explain the observed linear dependence of the 0.4 power of the photocurrent on electrode potential it is found necessary to allow explicitly for the existence of a layer of solvent molecules at the metal surface. This layer of molecules con- stitutes a potential energy barrier to electron transfer with a width of about 0.28 nm and a height (with respect to the Fermi level of the metal) of about 560 kJ mol-1 for water. The model is geometrically quite similar to that used in the very successful Brodsky model but differs in physical interpretation of the surface potential energy barrier.

https://doi.org/10.1071/CH9750253

© CSIRO 1975

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