Thanks to an accidental discovery, researchers at the University of British Columbia have created a new super-black material that absorbs almost all light, opening potential applications in fine jewelry, solar cells and precision optical devices.
Thanks to an accidental discovery, researchers at the University of British Columbia have created a new super-black material that absorbs almost all light, opening potential applications in fine jewelry, solar cells and precision optical devices.
Professor Philip Evans and Ph.D. student Kenny Cheng were experimenting with high-energy plasma to make wood more water-repellent. However, when they applied the technique to the cut ends of wood cells, the surfaces turned extremely black.
Measurements by Texas A&M University’s department of physics and astronomy confirmed that the material reflected less than 1% of visible light, absorbing almost all the light that struck it.
Instead of discarding this accidental finding, the team decided to shift their focus to designing super-black materials, contributing a new approach to the search for the darkest materials on Earth.
“Ultra-black or super-black material can absorb more than 99% of the light that strikes it—significantly more so than normal black paint, which absorbs about 97.
