Metal selenide poly-crystalline film electrodes with
enhanced photo-electrochemical characteristics can be deposited
by electrochemical then by chemical bath depositions onto
glass/fluorine doped tinoxide substrates. The resulting film
electrode shows the advantages of both electrochemical deposition
(film uniformity and adhesion) and chemical bath deposition
(suitable thickness). The two systems have been examined, and
both showed enhanced conversion efficiency values. The copper
selenide electrode showed ~4.5% efficiency while the cadmium
selenide showed ~14% efficiency), both of which are much higher
than earlier reported values for metal chalcogenide film
electrodes. Other photo-electrochemical characteristics such as
fill factor, film stability and short-circuit photocurrent density,
have also been enhanced by the combined deposition. Moreover,
the as-prepared films exhibited enhancement with no need for
further treatment.