Microstructure dependence of the optical properties of solar-absorbing black chrome

Abstract
The surface microstructure and chemical constituency of solar‐absorbing black chrome films have been studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x‐ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), and sputter depth‐profiling techniques. The films have been determined to consist of a top layer of small (∼400 Å) Cr2O3 particles with one or two sublayers of larger (∼1000 Å) closely packed chromium particles. In addition, it has been shown that the optical response of the particulate black chrome films is significantly determined by the microstructure of the films.