Inverse-photoemission spectroscopy at the metal-electrolyte interface

Abstract

The principle of the inverse photoelectric effect has been applied to the study of the metal-electrolyte interface. It is shown that charge-transfer-reaction inverse-photoemission spectroscopy is capable of investigating both empty and occupied electronic states in the inter- facial region. Results for Au(111) electrodes in solutions of tetra- propylammonium tetrafluoroborate in acetonitrile, containing either electron-donor or electron-acceptor molecules, are presented. The spectra obtained by this new technique, for both electron and hole injection into the metal, are shown to contain a wealth of detailed information about, for example, interfacial electronic states and molecular reorganization processes.