A Catalogue of Useless Facts

The Blackest Black

The Blackest Black
- physics / technology -

​​​The title of "blackest substance made by humans" is disputed.

The main contender is formed of manufactured nanoparticles called "dark chamaleon dimers". Discovered in 2015, the substance absorbs nearly 99% of all visible light, as well as a partial range of infrared light.

The previous title-holder is "vantablack", which is made from arrays of carbon nanotubes. While vantablack can potentially trap more light than chamaleon dimers (up to 99.965%), its effectiveness changes depending on the angle at which it is viewed.

Both materials could be potentially used to minimize ​light interference in telescopes and infrared cameras, increase efficiency of concentrated solar power, and mask heat signatures as thermal camouflage.

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Sources ▼

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https://primalight.org/1231-harnessing-structural-darkness-in-the-visible-and-in...
https://theoutline.com/post/285/what-ever-happened-to-the-blackest-black