Abstract
For the purpose of conversion of solar energy to chemical energy and water purification, we have investigated the photoelectrochemical process on semiconductor electrodes. As the electrodes, we focused on TiO2, ZnO, α-Fe2O3, and Cu2O. The TiO2 electrode was prepared from the anodic oxidation of Ti. The sintered ZnO and the electrochemically deposited film were used as ZnO electrodes. The α-Fe2O3 and Cu2O electrodes were prepared from the deposited film by pulse electrolysis. The flat-band potential and photocurrent were checked for these semiconductor electrodes in the solution. The HPLC analysis was carried out for intermediates generated due to the photoelectrochemical reaction of organic materials. The performance of the apparatus for water purification was tested.