Infrared radiation and thermophysical properties of small band gap Cu-doped SrZrO3 perovskite ceramic

High infrared radiation materials have crucial applications in energy saving, heat conversion, and heat dissipation. SrZrO3 (SZO) is a potential material for high infrared radiation, however, its infrared emissivity still needs to be improved. To address this, in this study, Sr(Zr0.9375Cu0.0625)O3-delta (SZCO) perovskite ceramic with high infrared emissivity was prepared, and the impact of Cu ion doping on the electronic structure, infrared radiation characteristics, and thermal conductivity of SrZrO3 were explored. The findings reveal that SZO doped with Cu ions markedly decreases its band gap width from 5.658 eV to 1.467 eV. The infrared emissivity of the SZCO ceramic, sintered at 1200 degrees C, increases by 28 % in the 3-5 mu m band compared to SZO at room temperature. This emissivity positively correlates with temperature, reaching up to 0.95 at 600 degrees C. The emissivities of SZCO are greater than that of SZO in the 8-14 mu m and 1-22 mu m band ranges over the test temperature range from room temperature to 600 degrees C, and both increase with increasing temperature, reaching 0.978 and 0.946 at 600 degrees C, respectively. Furthermore, the SZCO ceramic demonstrates thermal conductivities ranging from 1.90 to 3.2 W m(-1) K-1 below 1400 degrees C. These results highlight the potential of Sr(Zr0.9375Cu0.0625)O3-delta ceramic as a high infrared radiation material.