Premium
Solution‐Processed All‐Ceramic Plasmonic Metamaterials for Efficient Solar–Thermal Conversion over 100–727 ° C
Author(s) -
Li Yang,
Lin Chongjia,
Wu Zuoxu,
Chen Zhongying,
Chi Cheng,
Cao Feng,
Mei Deqing,
Yan He,
Tso Chi Yan,
Chao Christopher Y. H.,
Huang Baoling
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.202005074
Subject(s) - materials science , optoelectronics , plasmon , ceramic , photothermal therapy , energy conversion efficiency , metamaterial , thermal stability , operating temperature , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , composite material , thermodynamics , physics , engineering
Low‐cost and large‐area solar–thermal absorbers with superior spectral selectivity and excellent thermal stability are vital for efficient and large‐scale solar–thermal conversion applications, such as space heating, desalination, ice mitigation, photothermal catalysis, and concentrating solar power. Few state‐of‐the‐art selective absorbers are qualified for both low‐ ( < 200 ° C) and high‐temperature ( > 600 ° C) applications due to insufficient spectral selectivity or thermal stability over a wide temperature range. Here, a high‐performance plasmonic metamaterial selective absorber is developed by facile solution‐based processes via assembling an ultrathin ( ≈ 120 nm) titanium nitride (TiN) nanoparticle film on a TiN mirror. Enabled by the synergetic in‐plane plasmon and out‐of‐plane Fabry–Pérot resonances, the all‐ceramic plasmonic metamaterial simultaneously achieves high, full‐spectrum solar absorption (95%), low mid‐IR emission (3% at 100 ° C), and excellent stability over a temperature range of 100–727 ° C, even outperforming most vacuum‐deposited absorbers at their specific operating temperatures. The competitive performance of the solution‐processed absorber is accompanied by a significant cost reduction compared with vacuum‐deposited absorbers. All these merits render it a cost‐effective, universal solution to offering high efficiency (89–93%) for both low‐ and high‐temperature solar–thermal applications.