Some Aspects of the Anodic Behaviour of CdS Single Crystals in Indifferent Electrolyte Solutions

Abstract

AbstractThe anodic behaviour of CdS in contact with an indifferent electrolyte was studied in darkness and under illumination by current‐voltage, capacity‐voltage and analytical measurements. Marked effects of surface pretreatment on the current and the capacity were observed. The results suggest that pre‐breakdown phenomena are involved in the dark current mechanism as well as in some anomalies observed in the photocurrent under band‐gap illumination. Photo‐effects were also found at wavelengths up to 800 nm and ascribed to the presence of localised electron levels in the space charge region. Surface and sub‐surface imperfections appear to play an important role in the electrochemical behaviour of the CdS anode.