Facile preparation of reduced graphene oxide wrapped copper oxide thin film solar selective absorbers

Reduced graphene oxide wrapped copper oxide (rGO-CuO) thin films were prepared by room temperature chemical oxidation of copper substrates and subsequent dip-coating technique. The structural, morphological and chemical analysis of the as-prepared thin films were performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XRD and Raman studies revealed phase pure and high crystalline nature of the thin films. The XPS analysis confirmed the presence of rGO in the rGO-CuO thin films. The influence of alkaline conditions on the morphology of the thin films was investigated. The optical properties of pure CuO and rGO-CuO thin films were evaluated. Factors responsible for the observed high solar selectivity of the rGO-CuO thin films are discussed.