Spray-pyrolysed cobalt black as a high temperature selective absorber

Abstract

Cobalt oxide coatings with an integrated solar absorptance of 0.93 and a hemispherical emittance at 100°C of 0.14 were prepared by spray pyrolysis on stainless steel substrates kept at 300°C. The coatings are strongly adherent and stable up to temperatures of about 600°C. Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray and electron diffraction investigations revealed the coatings to be composed of an upper layer of Co₃O₄ and subsequent layers of CoO down to the substrate. The absorption mechanism is primarily intrinsic. Lower substrate temperatures (about 150°C) can be used for preparing coatings from equimolar aqueous solutions of cobaltous acetate and thiourea. Such coatings, containing both cobalt oxide and cobalt sulphide, have a comparable absorptance but a higher emittance and are stable only up to about 300°C.