Melanin pigmented solar absorbing surfaces

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980 · Proc. Annu. Meet. - Am. Sect. Int. Sol. Energy Soc.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6481604

Gallas, J M; Eisner, M

Selectivity enhancement is shown to result for melanin, a black biopolymer pigment, for sufficiently low sample density. The effect is proposed to follow from a consideration of the evanescent waves associated with the total internal reflection phenomenon. A relationship is discussed among powder density, pH and the paramagnetic properties of melanin; this relationship is shown to be consistent with, and offer support to an amino-acid side group proposed earlier as part of the melanin structure. A brief discussion is also presented on the optical properties of melanin and the relative importance of quinhydrone, a change transfer complex believed to exist in the polymeric structure of melanin.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Houston, TX
• OSTI ID: 6481604
• Report Number(s): CONF-800604-P3
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Proc. Annu. Meet. - Am. Sect. Int. Sol. Energy Soc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 3.2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
141000* -- Solar Collectors & Concentrators
AROMATICS
BENZOQUINONES
DENSITY
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EQUIPMENT
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INFRARED RADIATION
MELANIN
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PIGMENTS
PRESSURE DEPENDENCE
QUINHYDRONE
QUINONES
RADIATIONS
REFLECTION
SOLAR ABSORBERS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SPECTRALLY SELECTIVE SURFACES
SURFACES