A review of cermet-based spectrally selective solar absorbers

Abstract

Spectrally selective solar absorbers harvest solar energy in the form of heat. Solar absorbers using cermet-based coatings demonstrate a high absorptance of the solar spectrum and a low emittance in the infrared (IR) regime. Extensive work has been done to optimize cermet-based solar absorbers to achieve high performance by exploring different cermet (ceramic–metal composite) materials and film configurations through different preparation techniques such as electrodeposition, sputtering, pulsed laser deposition, and solution-based methods. In this article, we review the progress of cermet-based spectrally selective absorbers with high solar absorptance and low thermal emittance, such as Cr₂O₃, Al₂O₃, AlN, SiO₂, and ZrO₂ based cermets as absorption layers. We also present an outlook for cermet-based spectrally selective absorbers with high thermal stability and high conversion efficiency from sunlight to heat.