Surface Roughness Effects on the Broadband Reflection for Refractory Metals and Polar Dielectrics

Tungsten Based Spectrally Selective Absorbers with Anisotropic Rough Surface Texture

Spectrally selective absorbers have received considerable interest due to their applications in thermophotovoltaic devices and as solar absorbers. Due to extreme operating conditions in these applications, such as high temperatures, thermo-mechanically stable and broadband spectrally selective absorbers are of interest. This paper demonstrates anisotropic random rough surfaces that provide broadband spectrally selective absorption for the thermo-mechanically stable Tungsten surfaces. Anisotropic random rough surface has different correlation lengths in the x- and y-directions, which means their topography parameters have directional dependence. In particular, we demonstrate that spectral absorptance of Tungsten random rough surfaces at visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) spectral regions are sensitive to correlation length and RMS height variations. Our results indicate that by optimizing random rough surface parameters, absorption values exceeding 95% can be obtained. Moreover, our results indicate that anisotropic random rough surfaces broaden the bandwidth of the high absorption region. It is shown that in VIS and NIR regions, the absorption enhancements of up to 47% and 52% are achieved for the isotropic and anisotropic rough surfaces, respectively.

Terahertz High-Q Absorber Based on Holes Array Perforated into a Metallic Slab

In this paper, we theoretically analyze and design a dual-narrowband terahertz (THz) absorber based on a hole array drilled into a metallic slab. A very high-quality factor (Q) is achieved at both of the resonance frequencies. A circuit model-based approach is developed for the analysis and design of the proposed absorber. The absorption peaks occur at 2.46 and 3.75 THz frequencies with 98% and 96% absorptions at normal incidence, respectively. The achieved quality factors are 149 and 144, at 50% absorbance for the two absorption bands, respectively.

Sodium-Based Chitosan Polymer Embedded with Copper Selenide (CuSe) Flexible Film for High Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Shielding Efficiency

Efficient shielding materials are extremely important to minimize the effect of electromagnetic interference. Currently, various composite materials are being investigated with different shielding efficiencies reported. In this paper, a flexible and free-standing sodium-based chitosan (CH/Na) polymer with copper selenide (CuSe) filler was prepared for electromagnetic shielding. The CH/Na/CuSe polymer matrix was prepared via the direct casting technique at different wt% of CuSe, varying from 2 to 20 wt%. The polymer matrix was then characterised by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to confirm the interaction between the CH/Na and CuSe. The XRD results revealed that the CH/Na/CuSe polymer was successfully formed. Improvement in the electrical conductivity was confirmed by an impedance spectroscopy measurement. The highest electrical conduction recorded was at 3.69 × 10−5 S/cm for CH/Na/CuSe polymer matrix with 20 wt% CuSe. An increase in total electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding efficiency (SET) of up to 20 dB (99% EM power shield) was achieved, and it can be increased up to 34 dB (99.9% EM power shield) with the thickness of the polymer increased.

Spectrally Selective Solar Absorber Coating of W/WAlSiN/SiON/SiO2 with Enhanced Absorption through Gradation of Optical Constants: Validation by Simulation

The properties of spectrally selective solar absorber coatings can be fine-tuned by varying the thickness and composition of the individual layers. We have deposited individual layers of WAlSiN, SiON, and SiO2 of thicknesses ~940, 445, and 400 nm, respectively, for measuring the refractive indices and extinction coefficients using spectroscopic ellipsometer measurements. Appropriate dispersion models were used for curve fitting of Ψ and Δ for individual and multilayer stacks in obtaining the optical constants. The W/WAlSiN/SiON/SiO2 solar absorber exhibits a high solar absorptance of 0.955 and low thermal emissivity of 0.10. The refractive indices and extinction coefficients of different layers in the multilayer stack decrease from the substrate to the top anti-reflection layer. The graded refractive index of the individual layers in the multilayer stack enhances the solar absorption. In the tandem absorber, WAlSiN is the main absorbing layer, whereas SiON and SiO2 act as anti-reflection layers. A commercial simulation tool was used to generate the theoretical reflectance spectra using the optical constants are in well accordance with the experimental data. We have attempted to understand the gradation in refractive indices of the multilayer stack and the physics behind it by computational simulation method in explaining the achieved optical properties. In brief, the novelty of the present work is in designing the solar absorber coating based on computational simulation and ellipsometry measurements of individual layers and multilayer stack in achieving a high solar selectivity. The superior optical properties of W/WAlSiN/SiON/SiO2 makes it a potential candidate for spectrally selective solar absorber coatings.