Spectroscopic Analysis of Water-Based TiO2 and ZnO Nanofluid for Fluid-Based Beam Split Photovoltaic-thermal System

Document Type : SI:Emerging Trends in Photothermal Conversion for Solar Energy Harvesting

Authors
Pushparaj R Jiwanapurkar 1
Hitesh A Bhargav 2
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. India
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, BVM Engineering College, Vallabh Vidhyanagar, Gujarat. India
10.22059/jser.2025.379717.1445
Abstract
Traditional photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems struggle to simultaneously maximize electrical and thermal efficiencies due to inherent heating issues and incomplete utilization of the solar spectrum. Although nanofluid-based direct absorption methods have been explored, they remain limited by insufficient spectral control and rising cell temperatures. To overcome these challenges, this research investigates the development of a fluid-based spectral beam splitting (SBS) system using water-based titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanofluids as low-cost, tuneable optical filters for beam-split PVT (BSPVT) applications. Twelve nanofluid samples with concentrations ranging from 0.01% to 0.05% were prepared and analysed using UV–Vis–NIR spectrophotometry across 200–2500 nm. The objective is to assess the optical properties of TiO₂ and ZnO nanofluids and identify a suitable nanofluid composition capable of effectively separating the solar spectrum to enhance both electrical and thermal outputs. The results show that the TiO₂ nanofluid at 0.04% concentration provides optimal spectral filtering performance, achieving up to a 74 % transmissivity. Additionally, water's inherent transparency between 751–1126 nm makes it an ideal base fluid silicon PV cell’s responsive range. This study establishes a foundation for developing high-efficiency, low-cost SBS-PVT systems with tuneable energy output profiles.
Keywords
Solar Energy
Solar Spectrum
Photovoltaic Thermal
Hybrid PV/T
Spectral Beam Splitting
Nanofluids
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