Thermo-optical performance of bare laser-synthesized TiN nanofluids for direct absorption solar collector applications

Titanium nitride (TiN) nanoparticles (NPs) look very promising for solar energy harvesting owing to a strong plasmonic absorption with the maximum in the near-infrared range. However, the synthesis of TiN nanofluids is very challenging as one has to combine the plasmonic feature and long-term colloidal stability to withstand harsh conditions of direct absorption solar collectors (DASC). Here, we explore solutions of bare (ligand free) TiN NPs synthesized by pulsed laser ablation in acetone as the nanofluid. We show that such NPs are low size-dispersed (mean size 25 nm) and exhibit a broad absorption peak around 700 nm, while their negative charge ensures a prolonged electrostatic stabilization of solutions. Solar weighted absorption coefficient of such TiN nanofluids reaches 95.7% at very low volume fractions (1.0 x 10-5), while nanofluid temperature can be increased up to 29 degrees C under 1.25-sun illumination. Our data evidence that the thermal efficiency of a DASC using TiN nanofluid is 80% higher compared to Au-based counterparts. The recorded high photothermal efficiency and excellent colloidal stability of TiN nanofluids promises a major advancement of DASC technology, while laser-ablative synthesis can offer easy scalability and relative cost-efficiency required for the implementation of systems for solar energy harvesting.