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Scientists Have Developed a Material So Dark That You Can't See It

Posted by samzenpus on from the none-more-black dept.

gbjbaanb writes A British company is developing a new material that's so black it absorbs all but 0.035 percent of the visual light, making it the darkest material ever created. Of course, apart from making album covers, it conducts heat 7 times better than copper and is 10 times stronger than steel. "The nanotube material, named Vantablack, has been grown on sheets of aluminium foil by the Newhaven-based company. While the sheets may be crumpled into miniature hills and valleys, this landscape disappears on areas covered by it. 'You expect to see the hills and all you can see it's like black, like a hole, like there's nothing there. It just looks so strange,' said Ben Jensen, the firm's chief technical officer.

10 of 238 comments (clear)

  1. I was able to sneak into their laboratories by ArcadeMan · · Score: 5, Funny

    And I took a photo of the material.

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    1. Re:I was able to sneak into their laboratories by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 4, Funny

      I suspect the material was carefully designed so that the scientists could show off how bright they are (in comparison).

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    2. Re:I was able to sneak into their laboratories by Kazoo+the+Clown · · Score: 4, Funny

      That would make one heck of a tinfoil hat...

    3. Re:I was able to sneak into their laboratories by pacman+on+prozac · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'm not sure what is stranger, the material or the Daily Mail publishing something that appears to be factual and informative....

    4. Re:I was able to sneak into their laboratories by AbRASiON · · Score: 4, Funny

      I've actually managed to find a picture of it being used as intended.
      http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Portable_Hole_8289.jpg

  2. galactic hyper-hearse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's the weird colour scheme that freaks me. Every time you try to operate one of these weird black controls, which are labeled in black on a black background, a small black light lights up black to let you know you've done it. Hey, what is this, some kind of galactic hyper-hearse?

  3. It's like, how much more black could this be? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    And the answer is none. None more black.

  4. Disaster Area by Rah'Dick · · Score: 4, Funny

    I hear a Mr. Hotblack Desiato wants to buy all of it. The material and the team that invented it... He also might buy the whole solar system while he's at it.

  5. Re:Here's a better article with actual photos by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    better article

    Daily Mail

    This material appears to be so black that it made me black out and wake up in a crazy alternate universe where a Daily Mail article isn't considered to be absolutely terrible.

  6. Looks like they'll get rich by russotto · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is the sort of material which could be used for artificial hearts for lawyers, bankers, and politicians.