Pockels Effect at the Interface between Water and Ti Electrode

Abstract

The Pockels coefficient of interfacial water between bulk water and a Ti electrode was estimated from the electroreflectance spectra (ΔR/R) to be r13≈−150 pm/V as the maximum value of magnitude, which is comparable in magnitude to the largest coefficient for electrode interfacial water, i.e., 200 pm/V for interfacial water on a transparent oxide electrode. This Pockels signal increased by a factor of about ±3 by applying a DC bias voltage of ±1 V. The reflectance (R) of the Ti electrode had a dip structure in the UV region (3.5–4.5 eV) due to the interference of a 14 nm thick surface oxide film, and the ΔR/R spectra in aqueous electrolyte solution showed a large reflectance change in the UV region with a dispersive shape due to the contribution of the TiO2 film. The reproducibility of the electroreflectance experiment was high, suggesting that the surface oxide film contributes to the large Pockels effect of interfacial water and the robustness of the electrode.