Schmuki P (2026)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2026
Book Volume: 173
Article Number: 171504
Journal Issue: 17
Mott–Schottky (MS) analysis is widely applied to thin passive oxide films and photoelectrochemical layers (PELs) to extract donor densities and flat-band potentials. Yet the MS-concept assumes an ideal semiconductor: fixed shallow dopants, a genuine depletion layer, negligible Helmholtz contribution, no surface states, and chemical stability. Passive films and many PELs are often nanometer-thin, defect-rich, mixed ionic-electronic oxides whose capacitance often reflects redox activity, ion motion, and interfacial polarization rather than semiconductor doping. This perspective suggests that when MS validity fails, results should be considered as field-driven defect and ionic mobility, rather than solid semiconductor descriptors.
APA:
Schmuki, P. (2026). Use and Abuse of Mott–Schottky Analysis for Passive Films and Other Thin Oxide Layers. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 173(17). https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/aea1c5
MLA:
Schmuki, Patrik. "Use and Abuse of Mott–Schottky Analysis for Passive Films and Other Thin Oxide Layers." Journal of The Electrochemical Society 173.17 (2026).
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