Hafnium Diboride: A Notable Solid-State Material for Efficient Photothermal Conversion

We report the remarkable light-to-heat conversion observed in commercially available, ready-to-use bulk hafnium diboride (HfB2) powder, which exhibits strong wide-spectrum absorption and minimal photoluminescence. 100 mg of the powder sample, uniformly spread on an aluminium foil, was subjected to continuous-wave, blue laser irradiation and the rise in sample temperature was measured using a K - type thermocouple. The bulk HfB2 powder sample showed substantial photothermal conversion and displayed exceptional thermal, chemical and photo-stability under diverse irradiation conditions. Furthermore, the photothermal effect proved to be highly reproducible, highlighting the suitability of HfB2 powder for a range of industrial applications.