Spectrally selective paint coatings: Preparation and characterization

Preparation and characterization of spectrally selective paint coating for photothermal solar energy conversion are discussed. The applied methods for preparation of paints with described measurements and calculations of blac k-pigmented coatings were reviewed. The article represents not only possibl e future applications but also past and current applications of spectrally selective paint coating which are used all over the world since the 1980s. Spectrally selective paint coatings based on combinations of two types of r esins, various types of pigments and three types of silica, were prepared. The influence of pigment type and pigment volume concentration (PVC) was st udied by applying the Kubelka-Munk (K-M) theory. The relation between the d egrees of dispersion and distribution of pigment particles across the paint layer is discussed in terms of K-M coefficients. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.