How much more black? None more black.

If you're one of those creative types who insists on wearing black, you may soon have to wonder whether your attire is black enough. An item in the Washington Post reports that researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., have developed “a paper-thin material that absorbs 99.955 percent of the light that hits it, making it by far the darkest substance ever made.” When held next to something that’s “conventionally black,” like a tuxedo jacket, the new black is “noticeably blacker.” Fashion aside, the technology has potential applications in solar panels (making them more efficient) and military “cloaking” (making objects harder to detect), among others.

—Posted by Mark Dolliver

February 20, 2008 in Dolliver | Permalink