Synthesis and characterization of silicon carbide in the application of high temperature solar surface receptors

© 2014 The Authors Published by Elsevier Ltd. The use of ceramic surfaces for thermal solar concentrators are not new, but the high costs of fabrication and limited thermal properties have banned the application of such at large scale. Silicon carbide (SiC) is well known due to its high thermo-mechanical properties and spectral absorbance. Because of its capacities to enhance the energy transfer and its resistance to high temperatures silicon carbide have been recognized in our group as a possible improvement to increase the efficiency of electric energy production. At nano-scale SiC shows high surface area and porosity that could be tuned, making it a state-of-the-art material to be used in the application of thermal solar receptors in "Central Tower" power plants. Although the advantages are favorable, the high temperature needs for its synthesis have been an issue for its spread. In the present work, we introduce a novel method to synthesize SiC powders at lower temperature (650°C) we present also its characterization for the potential application in the concentration of thermal solar energy at high temperatures.