pH value variation for effective solar energy harnessing of copper oxide based sol-gel prepared coatings

Selectivity (maximum absorptivity/minimum emissivity) of a thin film has become the decisive parameter associated with the success of solar energy capturing coat. Accordingly, the issue of developing effectively solar energy absorbing coat is of great interest in research. This research studies the effect of changing the pH value of copper oxide based coats and monitors its effect on optical properties. Increasing the surfactant percentage has resulted in more enhanced coats. prepared coats with pH = 5.5 have selectivity of α/e = 96.3/65 for 5 wt% surfactant and α/e = 97/56.6 for 20 wt% surfactant. Moreover, optical bandgap was calculated to vary between 1.29 and 1.86 eV for different pH values. Through this work, optical properties, bandgap, coat thickness, surface topography, and existing phases are all investigated in details.