Studies on photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells: A correlation between electrochemical and material properties

CdS0.9Te0.1 thin films of various thicknesses (680–2740 nm) were deposited onto the clean glass and stainless steel substrates using a chemical deposition technique. The as-grown films exhibited photoactivity in an aqueous 0.5 M NaOH+0.5 M Na2S+0.5 M S (pH=12.6) electrolyte. An interface between n-CdS0.9Te0.1 semiconductor photoelectrode and an electrolyte redox couple was formed and investigated through the capacitance–voltage, current–voltage and photovoltaic characteristics. The results on the capacitance–voltage and current–voltage measurements in dark are compared with the photovoltage measurements. The measurement on the characteristic photovoltaic properties showed a significant enhancement in the cell performance at a thickness of 2740 nm (0.658% efficiency).