Surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) was applied to the analysis of particulate La5Ti2CuS5O7 and SrNbO2N photoelectrodes fabricated by a particle transfer method, as a means of assessing charge separation under illumination. The critical roles of the back contact metals and cocatalyst in generating charge separation and defining various photoelectrochemical properties were confirmed. The results suggests that SPS in conjunction with particle transfer technology potentially allows the identification of the most beneficial photoelectrode components for photoelectrochemical water splitting. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.