Back in Black

How black is black? Well, take a look at this coating formed of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, which absorbs 99.955% of incident light over a broad band of the visible spectrum. Developed by collaborators at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Rice University, the material features an uneven surface that acts as both strong absorber and weak reflector. Applications include IR sensors, solar energy conversion, and photometry.

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