darkest material on earth
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U.S. Researchers announced on this january that they have made the darkest material on Earth and it abosorbs almost 99.9% of the light incident on it. The substance is made from tiny tubes of carbon standing on end, almost 30 times darker than Ni-P alloy (used as current benchmark of Darkness).
The reflective indices of the well known dark materials till date are shown below:
*Carbon nanotube material- 0.045%
*Nickel and phosphorous alloy- 0.16%
*Basic black paint- 5%
The material can be utillised for solar energy conversion. It can also be used in infrared detection as well as for astronomical purposes. The tiny tubes of carbon used in this substance are 400 times thinner than a hair strand.The tubes stand on the end like a patch of grass which traps light in the tiny gaps between them calles "blades".
