Photoelectrochemical characterization of photocatalysts

Abstract This chapter aims to provide an overview of the photoelectrochemical characterization of semiconducting photocatalysts and, in particular, present Photocurrent Spectroscopy (PCS) as a useful tool in determining the band structure of semiconducting/insulating materials. Some fundamentals on PCS will be provided looking at the experimental setup and underlying its advantages and disadvantages. Then, the photoelectrochemical behavior of a semiconductor/electrolyte junction under irradiation will be presented, also taking into account its crystalline or amorphous nature, highlighting how it is possible to get information on the energetics of the junction. This will be exploited to show how to depict the band structure of the semiconducting photocatalysts using the data gathered by PCS.