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Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
Chuffy said:
A darker shade of black. Coming to a t-shirt near you. :ohmy:

My daughter's gonna want some of that!
 

Keith Oates

Janner
Location
Penarth, Wales
Why do I continue trying to open links to the beeb out here and then get disappointed with this so familiar message:

"Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage "
 
Keith Oates said:
Why do I continue trying to open links to the beeb out here and then get disappointed with this so familiar message:

"Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage "

Force of habit of freedom of speech? Cut and pasted for you below:

'Darkest ever' material created
By Helen Briggs
BBC News science reporter



The "darkest ever" substance known to science has been made in a US laboratory.
The material was created from carbon nanotubes - sheets of carbon just one atom thick rolled up into cylinders.

Researchers say it is the closest thing yet to the ideal black material, which absorbs light perfectly at all angles and over all wavelengths.

The discovery is expected to have applications in the fields of electronics and solar energy.

Theoretical clues

An ideal black object absorbs all the colours of light and reflects none of them. In theory, it should be possible to make something that approaches the "perfect absorber".


They've made the blackest material known to science
Prof Sir John Pendry

But it has proved difficult to construct an object that does not reflect light at all.

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, turned to carbon nanotubes - structures made from carbon, billionths of a metre across, that have unique properties.

Theory suggests that nanotubes might make a super black object, and experts are just starting to test these predictions.


A team led by Dr Pulickel Ajayan, who is presently at Rice University in Houston, Texas, built an array of vertically aligned, low-density carbon nanotubes. Dr Shawn Lin measured the optical properties.

The roughness of the material's surface was tuned to minimise its optical reflectance.


BUCKYBALLS AND NANOTUBES
Closed cages of carbon atoms
Appear as spheres and tubes
Electrical properties tuneable
Could form tiny circuit wires
Tubes make strong materials
Buckyballs will block HIV virus

Experiments showed that this "forest" of carbon nanotubes was very good at absorbing light, and very poor at reflecting it.
Reporting their findings in the journal Nano Letters, Dr Ajayan, Dr Lin and colleagues say the reflectance of the material is three times lower than previously achieved.

This makes it the "darkest man-made material ever".

"The periodic nanotube structures make an ideal candidate for creating superdark materials, because it allows one to tailor light absorption by controlling the dimensions and periodicities of nanotubes in the structure," said Dr Ajayan.

Commenting on the study, Professor Sir John Pendry, who first predicted that such a discovery might be possible, said the results were promising.

"They've made the blackest material known to science," the theoretical physicist from Imperial College, London, told BBC News.

"The application will be to things like more efficient solar cells, more efficient solar panels and any application where you need to harvest light," he added.


SOME POTENTIAL USES OF NANOTECHNOLOGIES
1 - Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) for displays
2 - Photovoltaic film that converts light into electricity
3 - Scratch-proof coated windows that clean themselves with UV
4 - Fabrics coated to resist stains and control temperature
5 - Intelligent clothing measures pulse and respiration
6 - Bucky-tubeframe is light but very strong
7 - Hip-joint made from biocompatible materials
8 - Nano-particle paint to prevent corrosion
9 - Thermo-chromic glass to regulate light
10 - Magnetic layers for compact data memory
11 - Carbon nanotube fuel cells to power electronics and vehicles
12 - Nano-engineered cochlear implant


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/sci/tech/7190107.stm

Published: 2008/01/16 17:56:11 GMT

© BBC MMVIII
 
Chuffy said:
'ere, Dmoan, have you heard 'Joy Division Oven Gloves' by Half Man Half Biskit? Makes me chortle every time....xx(

No - never heard of it. In saying that, the only Half Man Half Biscuit (Biskit - pah! Bloody Teapot bloke!) I have is 'Back at the DHSS' and 'The Trumpton Riots EP'. I'll google it and see if I can nick a download ...
 
OP
OP
Chuffy

Chuffy

Veteran
dmoan said:
No. But only since I have never heard (or can't remember having heard) 'Back Again in the DHSS.

But then again, 99% of Gargoyles really do look like Bob Todd. Check out the film 'Reign of the Gargoyles for proof!
Joy Division Oven Gloves is on Achtung Bono, btw. :blush:
 
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