U.S. researchers said on Tuesday they have made the darkest material on Earth, a substance so black it absorbs more than 99.9 percent of light. Made from tiny tubes of carbon standing on end, this material is almost 30 times darker than a carbon substance used by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology as the current benchmark of blackness. And the material is close to the long-sought ideal black, which could absorb all colours of light and reflect none…
The substance has a total reflective index of 0.045 percent - which is more than three times darker than the nickel-phosphorous alloy that now holds the record as the world’s darkest material. Basic black paint, by comparison, has a reflective index of 5 percent to 10 percent. The researchers are seeking a world’s darkest material designation by Guinness World Records. But their work will likely yield more than just bragging rights. [Dr Pulickel] Ajayan said the material could be used in solar energy conversion. “You could think of a material that basically collects all the light that falls into it,” he said…
The researchers have tested the material on visible light only. Now they want to see how it fares against infrared and ultraviolet light, and other wavelengths such as radiation used in communications systems. “If you could make materials that would block these radiations, it could have serious applications for stealth and defence,” Ajayan said.
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I suppose we're in for a lot of "the new black" jokes. But I hope they think of a good name for it. Black Hole Black? Darkness Invisible? Dead Goth?
Posted by: KB Player | January 17, 2008 at 21:42
Conrad Black?
Posted by: Dr.Dawg | January 18, 2008 at 00:21
Disaster Area Black ?
Posted by: IanCroydon | January 19, 2008 at 15:49
Black-on-Black? Black Power?
Posted by: Dr.Dawg | January 19, 2008 at 17:10
Michael Jackson?
Posted by: Rosie | January 20, 2008 at 14:52
Black Marx?
Socialist Heart Black?
Posted by: The Thin Man | January 20, 2008 at 19:52