INTERFACIAL CHARGE-TRANSFER PROCESSES IN COLLOIDAL SEMICONDUCTOR SYSTEMS

Kinetic study of interfacial charge transfer processes in colloidal semiconductor systems is not only essential to better understand the photocatalytic properties of these systems but also important for designing microheterogeneous assemblies to carry out efficient artificial photosynthesis. Heterogeneous electron transfer at the semiconductor interface is greatly influenced by parameters such as electrostatic effects, surface charge, site-specific interactions, band energies of the semiconductor and redox potential of the electron acceptor/donor molecule. An effort has been made in this review to address the factors that control the interfacial electron transfer and various kinetic models employed for understanding the photoinduced charge transfer processes in colloidal semiconductor systems.