Nature 340, 621 - 623 (24 August 1989); doi:10.1038/340621a0

Efficient photovoltaic devices for InP semiconductor/liqud junctions

Michael J. Heben, Amit Kumar, Chong Zheng & Nathan S. Lewis^*

Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
^*To whom correspondence should be addressed.

AN alternative to conventional solid-state photovoltaic devices is the semiconductor/liquid junction. Liquid-junction cells not only offer the possibility of integrating energy conversion and storage functions¹, but also may exhibit electrical properties that are fundamentally different from those in solid-state systems². We have investigated the photovoltaic behaviour of n-InP/metal and n-InP/liquid junctions. We have found that the electrical properties of these semiconductor/liquid junctions are superior to those of n-InP/metal (Schottky barrier) systems, and that the current-voltage characteristics are a strong function of the electrochemical potential of the liquid phase. Liquid contacts thus provide a possibility for the construction of more efficient photovoltaic devices than those available at present from Schottky barriers.

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