Absorption and scattering of light by pigment particles in solar-absorbing paints.

The optical properties of black-pigmented solar absorbing paint were analyzed phenomenologically by use of the Kubelka-Munk theory, including correction for reflection on front and rear surfaces. The effective absorption and scattering coefficients and the efficiency curves for absorption and scattering were calculated for coatings with different pigment-to-volume concentration ratios. The dependence of absorption and scattering efficiency on the pigment-to-volume concentration ratio was analyzed by reference to theoretical data in the literature. It was concluded that, during drying and curing of coatings, spherical primary pigment particles most likely collect in elongated groups oriented perpendicularly to the coating surface. Formation of such groups helps in understanding the independent measurements of solar absorptance.