MIT scientists accidentally created the 'blackest' material ever

This material is made from vertically arranged carbon nanotubes (CNTs).

The researchers tested ways to develop CNTs on conductive materials such as aluminum to increase their electrical and thermal properties. The color of the material surprised the team and they only realized what they had invented after measuring its optical reflectance.

The special diamond is covered with new MIT material.

The discovery is currently on display at an art exhibition at the New York Stock Exchange, where a 16.78-carat natural yellow diamond has been coated with special materials. Instead of a sparkling, sparkling gem, the eye-catching $ 2 million diamond appears as a flat, black void.

The team said the material also has practical applications. According to Brian Wardle, a professor of aviation and space travel at MIT, it can be used in optical shields to reduce unwanted glare, to help space telescopes detect external orbits. planet. And even if researchers want to be able to make the material even darker.

Before MIT developed the so-called "blackest" material to date , Surrey NanoSystems announced it could do so with the discovery of low-temperature carbon nanotubes. Surrey's material is capable of absorbing 99.96% of the light, although scientists claim the company's second-generation concept could be even darker (even if the spectrophotometer is clearly cannot be measured).

• The darkest material can turn everything into a "black hole"