High-temperature air-stable solar absorbing coatings based on the cermet of MoSi2 embedded in SiO2

Abstract

Solar absorbing coating is a critical component in concentrated solar power (CSP) system. How to further decrease costs and enhance thermal stability of coatings is crucial for large-scaled CSP systems. Herein, we present a cost-effective and facile strategy to prepare the MoSi2–SiO2 based coatings, which can survive at 850 °C in air for 100 h due to the formation of a SiO2 barrier in cermet that prevents the coatings from further oxidation. The absorbers demonstrate a high absorptance of ∼95%, and the total efficiency using this absorber could reach 63.5% with the conditions of a solar concentration ratio of C = 1000 at 850 °C, which exceeds most of spectrally selective coatings. These results suggest that the MoSi2–SiO2 based absorbing coating would be a potential candidate for a large-scale deployment in high-temperature solar thermal conversion systems.