The effect of various impregnation parameters on the structural features an
d optical properties of solar absorbing nickel pigmented anodic alumina coa
tings has been studied. The impregnation starts from a threshold voltage. A
correlation between microstructural features and the optical properties of
these coatings has been established. Stable coating with low emissivity (0
.14 at 70 degrees C) and high solar absorptivity (> 0.90) have been prepare
d by anodizing in a phosphoric acid solution. (C) 2000 Kluwer Academic Publ
ishers.