Pchan 5,162 Report post Posted January 16, 2008 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7190107.stm The "darkest ever" substance known to science has been made in a US laboratory. Carbon nanotubes are a basic building block of nanotechnology The material was created from carbon nanotubes - sheets of carbon just one atom thick rolled up into cylinders. Researchers say it is the closest thing yet to the ideal black material, which absorbs light perfectly at all angles and over all wavelengths. The discovery is expected to have applications in the fields of electronics and solar energy. Theoretical clues An ideal black object absorbs all the colours of light and reflects none of them. In theory, it should be possible to make something that approaches the "perfect absorber". They've made the blackest material known to science Prof Sir John Pendry But it has proved difficult to construct an object that does not reflect light at all. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, turned to carbon nanotubes - structures made from carbon, billionths of a metre across, that have unique properties. Theory suggests that nanotubes might make a super black object, and experts are just starting to test these predictions. A team led by Dr Pulickel Ajayan, who is presently at Rice University in Houston, Texas, built an array of vertically aligned, low-density carbon nanotubes. Dr Shawn Lin measured the optical properties. The roughness of the material's surface was tuned to minimise its optical reflectance. BUCKYBALLS AND NANOTUBES Closed cages of carbon atoms Appear as spheres and tubes Electrical properties tuneable Could form tiny circuit wires Tubes make strong materials Buckyballs will block HIV virus Experiments showed that this "forest" of carbon nanotubes was very good at absorbing light, and very poor at reflecting it. Reporting their findings in the journal Nano Letters, Dr Ajayan, Dr Lin and colleagues say the reflectance of the material is three times lower than previously achieved. This makes it the "darkest man-made material ever". "The periodic nanotube structures make an ideal candidate for creating superdark materials, because it allows one to tailor light absorption by controlling the dimensions and periodicities of nanotubes in the structure," said Dr Ajayan. Commenting on the study, Professor Sir John Pendry, who first predicted that such a discovery might be possible, said the results were promising. "They've made the blackest material known to science," the theoretical physicist from Imperial College, London, told BBC News. "The application will be to things like more efficient solar cells, more efficient solar panels and any application where you need to harvest light," he added. SOME POTENTIAL USES OF NANOTECHNOLOGIES 1 - Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) for displays 2 - Photovoltaic film that converts light into electricity 3 - Scratch-proof coated windows that clean themselves with UV 4 - Fabrics coated to resist stains and control temperature 5 - Intelligent clothing measures pulse and respiration 6 - Bucky-tubeframe is light but very strong 7 - Hip-joint made from biocompatible materials 8 - Nano-particle paint to prevent corrosion 9 - Thermo-chromic glass to regulate light 10 - Magnetic layers for compact data memory 11 - Carbon nanotube fuel cells to power electronics and vehicles 12 - Nano-engineered cochlear implant Whoa ... awesome. 2 Mathias and DeathscytheX reacted to this I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
