Not whiter than white, but blacker than black. Researchers have discovered the darkest material ever. It captures a whopping 99.995 percent of all incoming light, which means it only reflects 0.005 percent. The discoverers wrote about this in the scientific journal ACS-Applied Materials and Interfaces.
First of all, scientists from the American MIT and the Shanghai University in China admit that their discovery is a fluke. They were not looking at all for the blackest material that exists. In reality, the intention was to grow carbon nanotubes on electrically conductive materials such as aluminum.
This resulted in a material with a striking color: so black that you could barely see it. “I thought about measuring its optical reflection,” said Kehang Cui of Shanghai University. The calculations soon showed that the optical reflection was minimal. It reflects virtually no light and is, therefore, pitch black.
Jet black diamond
Subsequently, the strength of the black material was tested using a yellow shiny 16.78-carat diamond – with an estimated value of around 2 million dollars. The diamond was given a black layer, after which it turned into a jet black flat hole.
With its 99.995 percent absorption capacity, the new Vantablack material is taking off the throne. That type of black reflects 0.035 percent light.
