Design of Sol-Gel Copper Oxide Based Coating for Solar Energy Applications

Abstract

Solar energy harvesting is of a great interest lately as it's a clean and environmentally friendly energy source. Therefore, Solar selective coatings development became one of the pioneering research routes nowadays. Copper oxide based films were prepared by a sol-gel route and deposited on a stainless steel substrate via dip coating. The solution was prepared with several concentrations of polyethylene glycol as a surfactant and agglomeration controlling agent. The effect of several concentrations on the optical properties was studied. The microstructure of the coats was discussed in details reflecting on the optical properties as well. In general, the copper oxide based coats have shown uniform and dark visual appearance with acceptable adherence. The coats have been successfully prepared and analysed with a promising absorptivity up to 96.3% with an optical band gap that varies between 2.5eV and 3.03eV.