Interfadal overvoltage

The point at which the straight line of (tph) versus Eintersects the coordinate of electrode potential represents the flat band potential. Equation 10-15 holds when the reaction rate at the electrode interface is much greater than the rate of the formation of photoexcited electron-liole pairs here, the interfadal reaction is in the state of quasi-equilibrium and the interfadal overvoltage t)j, is dose to zero. 

The interfadal overvoltage referred to the standard redox potential is defined, generally, by Eqn. 10-41 ... 

As the resistance of mass transport increases, a diffusion overvoltage becomes significant and the total overvoltage t) is distributed to both interfadal ovmvoltage i1h and difiusion overvoltage T)di r as stressed in Eqn. 8-31 ... 

Fig. 10-28. Polarization curves for cell reactions of photoelectrolytic decomposition of water at a photoezcited n-type anode and at a metal cathode solid curve M = cathodic polarization curve of hydrogen evolution at metal cathode solid curve n-SC = anodic polarization curve of oxygen evolution at photoezcited n-type anode (Fermi level versus current curve) dashed curve p-SC = quasi-Fermi level of interfadal holes as a ftmction of anodic reaction current at photoezcited n-type anode (anodic polarization curve r re-sented by interfacial hole level) = electrode potential of two operating electrodes in a photoelectrolytic cell p. sc = inverse overvoltage of generation and transport ofphotoezcited holes in an n-type anode.

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