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The jewel of LJ West Diamonds worth 16.78 carats, worth $ 2 million, in the artistic installation "The Redemption of Vanity". Photo by R. Capanna, A. Berlato and A. Pinato, MIT.
MIT engineers created a material 10 times blacker than anything previously reported.
To show how dark the material is, they coated a $ 2 million, 16.78 carat natural yellow diamond with the substance. The result is that the gem, which is normally very bright, appears as a black and flat void.
The researchers did not intend to create an ultrablack material. Instead, they were experimenting with ways to grow carbon nanotubes on conductive materials such as aluminum, in order to improve their electrical and thermal properties.
The experiment was transformed into an art installation entitled "The Redemption of Vanity", a collaboration between Brian Wardle, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, and his group, the artist-in-residence Diemut of the Center. Art, science and technology of MIT. Strebe and LJ West Diamonds.
The ultra-black material consists of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, or CNTs – microscopic carbon filaments, resembling a fuzzy forest of tiny trees, which the team developed on a surface of chlorine-etched aluminum foil. The sheet captures at least 99.995% of all incoming light, which means it reflects 10 times less light than any other super-black material, including Vantablack.
According to Wardle, CNT material, in addition to making an artistic statement, could also be useful, for example in the field of optical blinkers that reduce undesirable glare, to help space telescopes to locate exoplanets in orbit.
In fact, John Mather, astrophysicist and Nobel laureate of research, who did not participate in the research, explores the possibility of using the superblack material as a basis for a star hue – a massive black shade that would protect a space telescope stray light.
"Optical instruments such as cameras and telescopes need to get rid of unwanted reflections so you can see what you want to see," he said in a press release. "Would you like to see Earth gravitate around another star? We need something very dark. … and this black must be hard to resist a rocket launch. Older versions were fragile fur forests, but they look more like pot washers – built to resist abuse. "
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