Solar selective film and process

A composite, flexible, solar selective film for use with a solar collector comprising:

• a metallic substrate selected from the group consisting of copper, nickel, aluminum and steel, said substrate having opposite major surfaces;
• a solar selective coating on one of said major surfaces, said coating having a first layer selected from the group consisting of white chromium and white nickel and having a thickness in the range of 1/10 to 1/4 mil and a second outer layer of black chromium having a thickness in the range of 800 to 1600 Angstrom units;
• a barrier layer on the surface of said selective coating, said barrier layer containing a corrosion inhibitor;
• and
• adhesive means on the other of said major surfaces for affixing said substrate to said solar energy collector, said adhesive means being capable of withstanding temperatures in the range of 500 to 800.degree. F., said film having slots to accommodate thermal expansion, said slots being a tortuous, ladder-like array, oriented perpendicularly to the primary thermal expansion direction.