Solar-thermal energy conversion can be useful in many applications, including water desalination, and thermal energy storage. In this regard, using spectrally-selective solar absorbers is vital due to their high solar absorptance and low thermal emittance. While selective absorbers can be created using a wide range of nanomaterials, the underlying geometry may control the overall performance of solar-thermal energy conversion. With different geometries, it is possible to obtain a wide range of optical responses ranging from broadband to selective absorption of light. In this study, we focus on the role of nanostructure morphology of nickel-infused alumina (Ni/NPA) based spectrally-selective solar absorbers. This study demonstrates the use of the design of experiments to analyze the effect of various geometric factors on the resulting optical response of Ni/NPA in the context of solar-thermal energy conversion. We show how this approach can provide a unique insight into the role of various geometric factors on the solar absorptance and thermal emittance of Ni/NPA-based absorbers, and demonstrate how it can guide the development of spectrally-selective materials. We believe a similar approach can be useful in the development of other optical materials for different applications.

太阳热能转换可用于许多应用，包括水脱盐和热能存储。在这方面，使用光谱选择的太阳能吸收剂是至关重要的，因为它们具有高的太阳能吸收率和低的热辐射率。虽然可以使用多种纳米材料来制造选择性吸收体，但其潜在的几何形状可以控制太阳能热能转换的整体性能。通过不同的几何形状，可以获得从宽带到选择性吸收光的各种光学响应。在这项研究中，我们专注于基于镍的氧化铝（Ni / NPA）的光谱选择性太阳能吸收剂的纳米结构形态的作用。这项研究证明了使用实验设计来分析各种几何因素对太阳能热能转换中Ni / NPA产生的光学响应的​​影响。我们将展示这种方法如何提供独特的洞察力，以了解各种几何因素对Ni / NPA基吸收剂的太阳吸收率和热发射率的作用，并展示其如何指导光谱选择材料的发展。我们相信类似的方法可能会在针对不同应用的其他光学材料的开发中有用。并演示它如何指导光谱选择材料的发展。我们相信类似的方法对于开发用于不同应用的其他光学材料可能会有用。并演示它如何指导光谱选择材料的发展。我们相信类似的方法可能会在针对不同应用的其他光学材料的开发中有用。