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Reflectivity Reaches a New Low

Posted by Zonk on from the engaging-cloaking-device dept.

sporkme writes "A new nanocoating material developed by a team of researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has the lowest level of reflectivity ever seen ... or not seen in this case. The amount of light reflected by the composite of silica nanorods and aluminum nitride is almost the same amount reflected by air. From the article: 'Schubert and his coworkers have created a material with a refractive index of 1.05, which is extremely close to the refractive index of air and the lowest ever reported. Window glass, for comparison, has a refractive index of about 1.45. Using a technique called oblique angle deposition, the researchers deposited silica nanorods at an angle of precisely 45 degrees on top of a thin film of aluminum nitride, which is a semiconducting material used in advanced light-emitting diodes (LEDs). From the side, the films look much like the cross section of a piece of lawn turf with the blades slightly flattened.' Suggested applications include increased efficiency in solar cells, more energy-efficient lighting and advances in quantum mechanics."

14 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. Hey check out my new low reflective phone! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    oh crap where did it go?

    1. Re:Hey check out my new low reflective phone! by fyngyrz · · Score: 4, Funny

      Ooooh! Shiny! Wait... awwwww...

      --
      I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
  2. And what everyone was really thinking... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Even more birds hitting windows!

    1. Re:And what everyone was really thinking... by ACS+Solver · · Score: 3, Funny

      Speaking of windows. Vista has "glass" style Aero. Now Windows Vienna will have a new "nanocoating" style, even less reflective than Vista!

    2. Re:And what everyone was really thinking... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      I think you mean:

      • Even more bugs hitting windows!
    3. Re:And what everyone was really thinking... by Zonk+(troll) · · Score: 4, Funny

      (Wonder woman is flying through the sky in a sitting position)

      Superman: So, I see you're flying the invisible plane.

      Wonder Woman: Oooh, um...er...this is...kinda embarrassing. You see...I'm actually, in the lavatory of the invisible plane.

      Superman: Oh...so, you mean...right now, you're...

      Wonder Woman: Yeah.

      (Wonder Woman stands up and walks forwards, sitting down again and gripping the invisible steering wheel)

      Superman: So...I noticed you didn't wash your hands in the invisible sink...

      --
      "The Federal Reserve is a fraudulent system."--Lew Rockwell
      End The FED. -
  3. Nothing to see here... by messerman · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...move along.

  4. Transparent Aluminum? by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 3, Funny

    Would this constitute "Transparent Aluminum?

    typed on "Keyboard, how quaint"

    --
    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    1. Re:Transparent Aluminum? by Tackhead · · Score: 3, Funny
      > Would this constitute "Transparent Aluminum?
      >
      >typed on "Keyboard, how quaint"

      Naw, that ship was at least visible. How about something like that ship over there. I mean that... is really bad for the eyes... I mean you can hardly make out its shape... light just seems to fall into it!

      And the UI... I mean, it's the wild color scheme that freaks me. Every time you try to operate on of these weird black controls that are labelled in black on a black background, a little black light lights up black to let you know you've done it. And then it crashes into the sun! What kind of UI is this, Windows Aero?

  5. Oh my... by keeboo · · Score: 3, Funny

    Reflectivity Reaches a New Low

    Just when you started to think it couldn't get worse...

  6. Re:Oh crap.... by zcat_NZ · · Score: 3, Funny

    "absolut transparency" ?

    --
    455fe10422ca29c4933f95052b792ab2
  7. Well.... by kaizenfury7 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Me at a night club in the corner sipping my Jolt with my penguin shirt has even lower reflectivity. No one even knows I'm there. And that's with a _clean_ shirt even.

  8. Actually, I was thinking... by vought · · Score: 3, Funny

    "My ex must have had a mirror made of this shit!"

  9. Re:Sorry, wrong: by hotdiggitydawg · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...or, it's caused by actual water on the road.