Spectrally selective absorber (SSA) surfaces: A review

Solar absorbers with a solar absorptance of 0.95 and thermal emittance of 0.05 are known as commercial solar absorbers. Metal oxides and semiconductors have high thermal stability and selectivity in UV-vis range of solar radiation. However they also have high thermal emittance in mid/far-infrared wavelength ranges. A suitable solar selective absorber can be achieved by combination of materials. FeMnCuO4, CuCr2O4, CoFeO, and Mn3Cu2FeO8 are some examples of spectrally selective pigments. Some Special Metal-dielectric composites like Ni-Al2O3, W-SiO2, and Nb-TiO2 show spectrally selectivity. It can be also reached good selectivity by applying carbon black on polished aluminum. This paper provides an overview of the materials which can be used in solar selective absorbers.