Enhancing the solar absorption performance of nanoparticle suspensions by tuning the scattering effect and incident light location

High-efficiency solar absorption is an attractive alternative for solar applications that can alleviate the energy crisis at a low cost. Nanoparticle (NP) suspensions have received much attention for their excellent solar absorption performance. In this work, the effects of scattering characteristics of NP suspensions on their absorptance (A), reflectance, and transmittance were systematically analyzed. Results showed that enhancing the scattering ability of NP suspensions in a certain range can improve the A of NP suspensions. In addition, SiO2 NPs with the strong scattering ability were dispersed into the Cu@C NP suspension to form a mixed NP suspension, and the solar absorption efficiency of the mixed NP suspension was improved by optimizing the incident light location (d). The maximum solar absorption efficiency (eta(A)) of the NP suspension was 94.4% at d = 1.0 cm, which is 5.7% higher than that d = 0 cm. These results indicate that tuning the scattering ability and incident light location can be a potential approach to improve the solar absorption performance of NP suspensions.

Automated summary

This study systematically analyzed the effects of scattering characteristics of nanoparticle (NP) suspensions on their solar absorption performance. It found that enhancing the scattering ability of NP suspensions within a certain range can improve the absorptance. Additionally, by dispersing SiO2 NPs with strong scattering ability into the Cu@C NP suspension and optimizing the incident light location, the solar absorption efficiency of the mixed NP suspension was improved. The results indicate that tuning the scattering ability and incident light location can be a potential approach to enhance the solar absorption performance of NP suspensions.