Cuprorivaite, also known as Egyptian blue (EB), CaCuSi4O10, has been utilized as an important blue pigment for thousands of years. It shows a 430-800 nm broad excitation band and an intense 910-920 nm near-infrared (NIR) emission peak at room temperature. The application that motivates the current research is for luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) usage. Current technology for this purpose relies on high near-infrared reflectance. This article addresses the investigation of the relationship between dispersing methods and photoluminescence (PL) intensity. Mechanical grinding methods investigated in the study were: horizontal bead mill, exfoliation and three-roll mill. The initial aim of the study was to verify if the proposed methods do not damage PL. To the surprise of the authors, three-roll mill treatment enhanced PL by nearly 50% without altering the morphology of the powder. An X-ray diffraction study suggested slight alterations in the crystal lattice.
Keywords: egyptian blue; luminescence solar concentrator; photovoltaic module.