ECS-B Economic Photoelectrochemical (PEC) Testing System (Max. 50*50 mm), EBEPECTS

A Photoelectrochemical (PEC) Testing System is an integrated laboratory setup designed to evaluate the efficiency with which a semiconductor material converts light energy into chemical energy or electricity. Unlike standard electrochemical testing, a PEC system must synchronize precise optical delivery with sensitive electronic measurements.

A professional PEC station is composed of three primary subsystems: Optical Source, the Electrochemical Cell, and the Measurement Hardware. (1) Optical Subsystem Light Source: Typically a Xenon Arc Lamp (150W – 500W) which provides a continuous spectrum. High-stability LED arrays are increasingly used for monochromatic studies. The AM 1.5G Filter is essential for simulating standard terrestrial sunlight (Solar Simulator). The optical path includes shutters, neutral density (ND) filters for intensity control, and monochromators or bandpass filters for wavelength-dependent measurements (IPCE). (2) PEC Reactor Cell Configuration: Usually a three-electrode setup (Working Electrode/Photoelectrode, Pt Counter Electrode, and Ag/AgCl or SCE Reference Electrode). The optical window is normally high-purity fused silica (Quartz) to allow maximum UV-Vis-NIR transmission. There are ports for inert gas purging (N2/Ar) to remove dissolved oxygen or for feeding reactants like CO2. (3) Potentiostat/Galvanostat: The workstation must be capable of fast sampling and sensitive current detection (often in the nA to uA range for laboratory-scale electrodes). Modern systems are often integrated via PLC or specialized software to trigger the light shutter simultaneously with the start of an electrochemical scan.

References:

G. Hodes, et. al. Photoelectrochemical Cell Measurements: Getting the Basics Right, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 9, 1208–1213

M. R. Nellist, et. al. Semiconductor–Electrocatalyst Interfaces: Theory, Experiment, and Applications in Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting. Acc. Chem. Res. 2016, 49, 4, 733–740