Specialized nanotubes set the record for the blackest material on Earth
Chalk up another valuable use of carbon nanotubes -- creating the darkest material on Earth. Last month researchers at Rice College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York used the handy carbon molecular structures to set an unusual world record -- the record for the most light-absorbing material known to man.
The key to the technology is atom-thick nanotubes. The tubes are arranged vertically on the surface, widely-spaced and standing on end, like the bristles of a paint brush. The key is the spacing. By widely spacing the tubes, light is able to enter the material, but then ends up trapped within the collection of thin tubes.
Source: DailyTech
