Intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) was applied to studying the mechanism of
photoelectrochemical decomposition of a model organic compound, ethanol, on a TiO2 anatase photoelectrode
in aqueous solution. The frequency spectra of the intensity-modulated photocurrents observed on the TiO2
photoelectrode at low band bending were drastically changed in the presence of alcohol. Without the
alcohol, the frequency dependence of the modulated photocurrents were similar to those reported previously
for TiO2 electrodes and were typical for the case of surface recombination occurring on surface states, while
upon addition of alcohol the photocurrent frequency dependence was no longer observed. This fact suggests
that alcohol suppresses the recombination processes at the surface of the TiO2 photoelectrode. Possible
mechanisms for this phenomenon are discussed. The results demonstrate that IMPS is a powerful tool for
studying the mechanism of photocatalytic decomposition of organic pollutants on semiconductor electrodes.
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