Functional multi-layer nitride coatings for high temperature solar selective applications

Abstract A solar-selective functional multi-layered coating for high temperature applications has been developed on copper and stainless steel substrates using an industrially viable cathodic arc physical vapor deposition technique. The selective coating was formulated in such a way that the constituent functional layers are mainly high temperature stable nitride materials which are also hard and capable of imparting protection against wear. A multi-layer structure comprising TiAlCrN as IR reflector, TiAlN as absorber and AlSiN as anti-reflective layer was found to exhibit promising results. The stacking of these three materials with appropriate thickness in a systematic manner, viz. Cu/TiAlCrN/TiAlN/AlSiN with high Cr and Al contents in TiAlCrN and TiAlN layers, respectively, yielded high absorptivity ( α AM1.5 =0.91) and low emissivity ( e =0.07) values corresponding to an attractive optical selectivity ( α / e ) of 13. The open air high temperature performance of the optimized multi-layer structure was also investigated in the temperature range 27–700 °C and the stability of the coatings at high temperatures with respect to optical properties was established.

[1]  M. Wayman,et al.  The surface segregation behavior of manganese and nickel in iron , 1973 .

[2]  Sam Zhang,et al.  Thermal oxidation properties of titanium nitride and titanium-aluminum nitride materials — A perspective for high temperature air-stable solar selective absorber applications , 2007 .

[3]  M. Odén,et al.  Improving thermal stability of hard coating films via a concept of multicomponent alloying , 2011 .

[4]  M. Odén,et al.  Thermal stability of arc evaporated high aluminum-content Ti1−xAlxN thin films , 2002 .

[5]  Y. L. Jeyachandran,et al.  Properties of titanium nitride films prepared by direct current magnetron sputtering , 2007 .

[6]  S. Vepřek,et al.  Development of novel coating technology by vacuum arc with rotating cathodes for industrial production of nc-(Al1−xTix)N/a-Si3N4 superhard nanocomposite coatings for dry, hard machining , 2004 .

[7]  Qi-Chu Zhang.  Direct current magnetron sputtered W–AlN cermet solar absorber films , 1997 .

[8]  H. Barshilia,et al.  Review of physical vapor deposited (PVD) spectrally selective coatings for mid- and high-temperature solar thermal applications , 2012 .

[9]  M. Addonizio,et al.  Stability of W-Al2O3 cermet based solar coating for receiver tube operating at high temperature , 2010 .

[10]  Ewa Wäckelgård,et al.  Optimization of solar absorbing three-layer coatings , 2006 .

[11]  A. Schütze,et al.  Thermal Treatment Effects on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TiAlN Thin Films , 2004 .

[12]  N. Barradas,et al.  Graded selective coatings based on chromium and titanium oxynitride , 2003 .

[13]  A. Sharma,et al.  Solar selective black nickel–cobalt coatings on aluminum alloys , 2007 .

[14]  G. Niklasson,et al.  Surfaces for selective absorption of solar energy: an annotated bibliography 1955–1981 , 1983 .

[15]  E. Alves,et al.  Characterization of TiAlSiN/TiAlSiON/SiO2 optical stack designed by modelling calculations for solar selective applications , 2012 .

[16]  Andreas Schüler,et al.  Structural and optical properties of titanium aluminum nitride films (Ti1−xAlxN) , 2001 .

[17]  H. Barshilia,et al.  Spectroscopic ellipsometric characterization of TiAlN/TiAlON/Si3N4 tandem absorber for solar selective applications , 2008 .

[18]  S. Kirkpatrick,et al.  Spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements of chromium nitride coatings , 2001 .

[19]  A. Thetford.  A Method of Designing Three-layer Anti-reflection Coatings , 1969 .

[20]  E. E. Chain,et al.  Black molybdenum photothermal converter layers deposited by pyrolytic hydrogen reduction of MoO2Cl2 , 1980 .

[21]  M. G. Hutchins,et al.  Optical properties of higher and lower refractive index composites in solar selective coatings , 2002 .

[22]  M. Hutchins.  Selective thin film coatings for the conversion of solar radiation , 1983 .

[23]  M. G. Hutchins,et al.  A novel design in composities of various materials for solar selective coatings , 2002 .

[24]  E. A. Vinogradov,et al.  Characterization of Ti1-xAlxN coatings with selective IR reflectivity , 2010 .

[25]  André Anders,et al.  Approaches to rid cathodic arc plasmas of macro-and nanoparticles : a review , 1999 .

[26]  Eckhard Lüpfert,et al.  Advances in Parabolic Trough Solar Power Technology , 2002 .

[27]  David R. Mills,et al.  New cermet film structures with much improved selectivity for solar thermal applications , 1992 .

[28]  I. Fried,et al.  Thermal stability of nanostructured superhard coatings: A review , 2007 .

[29]  S. Spigarelli,et al.  Thermal Stability of Nanostructured Coatings , 2010 .

[30]  Carl M. Lampert,et al.  Coatings for enhanced photothermal energy collection I. Selective absorbers , 1979 .

[31]  Cathodic arc deposition of solar thermal selective surfaces , 1996 .

[32]  Qi-Chu Zhang,et al.  Recent progress in high-temperature solar selective coatings , 2000 .

[33]  D. Mills,et al.  High solar performance selective surface using bi-sublayer cermet film structures , 1992 .