Preparation and characterization of CuCoMnO selective absorbent layer for solar collectors

In this thesis study, ZnO nanorod and CuCoMnOx selective absorber layer were applied on three different metals, galvanized, copper and aluminum sheets, in order to increase the absorption efficiency for solar collectors. ZnO nanorod was obtained with ZnCl solution and ZnO and CuCoMnOx layers were coated on metal sheets by sol gel dipping technique. ZnO coating was applied on all metal sheets at 450 0C and CuCoMnOx coating was applied at 370 0C. Aluminum is annealed in an ash furnace at 510 0C, and copper and galvanized sheets are not annealed because corrosion occurs on the metal and coating during the annealing process. The ZnCl solution was prepared in a 2:1 molar ratio and the CuCoMn solution in a 3:1:3 molar ratio. Structural, morphological and optical properties of ZnO and CuCoMnOx films were investigated by XRD, SEM, EDX and Uv-Vis measurements. According to XRD measurements, CuCoMnOx crystallized in the annealed samples, but this crystallization did not occur in the unannealed samples. According to Uv-Vis measurements, ZnO nanorod application in three metals decreased the reflectance and increased the absorption rate.