Spectrally selective ultra-high temperature ceramic absorbers for high-temperature solar plants

Ultra-high temperature ceramics are the ideal materials for extreme conditions owing to their very high melting points and good thermo-mechanical properties at high temperatures. For these reasons, they are widely known as materials for aerospace applications. This paper presents a comparative spectral characterization of zirconium, hafnium, and tantalum carbides ultra-high temperature ceramics for concentrating solar power applications. Room-temperature reflectance spectra have been measured from the ultraviolet wavelength region to the mid-infrared band. Using these spectral properties, the ceramics were evaluated as sunlight absorbers in receivers for high-temperature thermodynamic solar plants. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4717515]