Photogalvanic and photovoltaic effects in systems based on metal complexes of Schiff bases

The nature of the processes that occur when electrodes modified with complexes [M(Schiff)] (M = Ni, Pd, Pt; Schiff denotes four-dentate Schiff base ligands) are irradiated with visible light for the potential use of these electrodes in photoelectrochemical energy conversion devices is considered. The factors responsible for shifts in the electrode potential upon photoexcitation, i.e., the nature of the metal site, the nature of the substituents in the sensitizer, and the oxygen concentration are discussed. Tentative mechanisms of the photovoltaic effects observed for conventional and semiconductor electrodes modified with [M(Schiff)] complexes are determined.