The Blackest Material

QuantumCrypto writes "Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have created 'the world's first material that reflects virtually no light.' This anti-reflection technology is based on nanomaterial and could lead to the development of more efficient solar cells, brighter LEDs, and 'smarter' light sources. In theory, if a room were to be coated with this material, switching on the lights would only illuminate the items in the room and not the walls, giving a sense of floating free in infinite space."

Comments

tsk

[scapermoya]

dupe.

Re:tsk

[Ekhymosis]

As per your signature, if the walls in the dungeon were coated with this stuff, a grue would most definately have its way with you =)

Re:tsk

[vimh42]

but a dupe gives me a chance to relay something I forgot the first time I saw the story.

My mother in law once saw a black shirt that said (in a dark brown font) "I'm just wearing this color until they find something darker."

I guess I've found a new material to make a t-shirt out of.

Looks like a fish,

[Clever7Devil]

Moves like a fish, steers like a cow.

To get this out of the way...

[EvanED]

I guess we know what material Hotblack Desiato used to make his stunt ship...

#GGGGGG

[Anonymous Coward]

So, THAT black?

Re:#GGGGGG

[ghoti]

Gnaaaa, you're confusing me! I meant of course 8-bit, not 4-bit, since colors have three 8-bit components, not six 4-bit ones. Rest of the comment still holds, though, and proves that black equals white, for really dark shades of black.

Re:#GGGGGG

[skoaldipper]

Well, you know what they say...

Once you go #GGGG, you never go ^H^H^H^H.

how much more black could this be?

[chameleon_skin]

The answer is none.

None more black.

Dolomite

[Irongeek_ADC]

You mean it's not Dolomite?

Re:Dolomite

[re6smith]

It's the hip black material that won't cop out when there's light all about.

Blackness

[ElephanTS]

Emo's are going to love this stuff.

THERE'S JUST NO POINT ANY MORE!

[Bertie]

What on earth are we going to do with this now that Johnny Cash is dead? Eh?

Doesn't work for me

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

"giving a sense of floating free in infinite space" Well I tried standing in a dark space with my eyes shut, which must be pretty much the same thing, and all that happened to me was that I felt like an idiot, especially when people saw me climbing back out of the office supply cabinet.

Picture

[Anonymous Coward]

Can we get a picture?

Re:Possible uses for the military?

[nuzak]

A blindfold works pretty well for that too.

Re:Outside

[Darth Muffin]

... or you could just close your eyes and get the same effect. Much cheaper too :)

All of my kid's Goth friends are probably rejoycing and wondering when they can get a t-shirt or trechcoat made of this stuff.

Is it blacker than priests socks?

[Larry Lightbulb]

DOUGAL: Anyway, what else did you order?

TED: Priest socks. Really black ones.

DOUGAL: I read somewhere, I think it was in an article about priest socks that priest socks are blacker than any other type of socks.

TED: That's right Dougal. Sometimes you see lay people wear what look like black socks but if you look closely you'll see they're very, very, very, very, very, very, very dark blue.

DOUGAL: Actually that's true. I thought my uncle Tommy was wearing black socks but when I looked at them closely they were just very, very, very, very, very, very, VERY, very, very, very dark blue.

TED: Never buy black socks in a normal shop. They'll shaft you every time!

Black Nano Paint is Grey Goo

[Jherek Carnelian]

I see a red sportscar and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
The cops, they won't know how fast my car goes
I have to turn my head because their radar blows

I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
Driving so fast and never looking back
I see people turn their heads as I make my getaway
Like a hot booth babe, I do her ever day

I look inside myself and see my heart is painted black
Damn nano-paint, the beta-test was just a hack
Maybe I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
It's not easy breathing when your world is covered with nano-black

No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
If I look hard enough into the setting sun
I still can't see anything, the world is done

I saw a red sportscar that I wanted painted black
No colors anymore, I want them back
I can't see the girls walk by, it's all just grey goo
I have to turn my head and pray this darkness goes

I wanna see it painted, painted black
Black as night, black as coal
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black

Re:Possible uses for the military?

[Bill Dog]

The rain would, if it could only see it.

Re:Outside

[Anonymous Coward]

I doubt that even this material is dark enough for most Goths!

Re:Is this a record?

[maxume]

Things to help you relax are available in liquid, pill, written, aural, visual, surgical and human forms, among others. Maybe give one of them some serious consideration.

Re:What does it look like?

[Russ Steffen]

Here's a picture, in one of the very few graphic formats Slashdot will accept in a comment, XBM -

#define noname_width 16
#define noname_height 16
static char noname_bits[] = {
0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00, 0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,
0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00, 0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,0x00,
0x00,0x00};

Re:Actually...

[DittoBox]

HOMER: What are you inferring?
LISA: I'm not inferring anything. You infer; I imply.
HOMER: Well that's a relief.

Why dupe?

[jinkside]

Why did people think this is/was a dupe? It looks genuine, even though the URL didn't work for me. http://news.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=1956 worked for me, though, which I got from their main page.

So is this...

[kybred]

The new black?

Re:Military use?

[istartedi]

Depends on the city of course. Around here, the optimal pattern is a mix of concrete and brick spattered with rat feces and black magic marker grafiti. You'll blend right in.