Shades of "Spinal Tap"

Nigel Tufnel: "It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black."

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The Darkest Material Ever Invented

Posted: 23 Jan 2008 08:10 AM CST

For years, scientists are trying to find new ways to put to better use the solar energy. Researchers of the Rice University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute say that they have developed the darkest material ever made. This material is made from carbon atoms tubes. These tubes are shaped like an empty-honeycomb and the carbon atoms are positioned vertically.

The research workers found a way to decrease the reflectivity of the light when it hits the carbon material by randomly arranging the nanotubes. The light is being absorbed in the spaces and gaps of the nanotubes. According to them, the material absorbs 99.995% of the light and only 0.045% is being reflected by it.

An alloy made of nickel and phosphorus held the previous record of darkness and it reflected four times more light than this carbon-based material. We should mention that regular black paint reflects 100-times more light.
This material is supposed to help the development of the solar cells to absorb more light and to convert it into energy. Also, they say that the nanotubes will be useful in various areas like medicine, astronomy, engineering and physics.

This discovery could revolutionize the world by increasing the use of solar energy and make it more efficient.