What's blacker than "black?" Vantablack!

Sorry but radar reflects radio waves.

Radar reflects radio waves...really?

a reply to: Aleister

Not a mirrored room, a room with one mirror, a candle for minor lighting, the room being completely blackened, the mirror twisted slightly so you and the light source are just out of the reflection, so all you can see in the reflection is black nothingness. Then, and only then, can you gaze into the past, present and future, and into the other realm....so they say.

p.s. do more than read a couple of words of a wikipedia article before assuming the meaning of something. From the same wikipedia link:

Psychological effect[edit]
The room is set up to optimize psychological effects such as trance. Its key features are low light or near-darkness, flickering light, and a mirror. The dimness represents a form of visual sensory deprivation, a condition helpful to trance induction, the undifferentiated colour without horizon producing the Ganzfeld effect,[4] a state of apparent "blindness". The Ganzfeld experiment replicates the conditions of a psychomanteum where a state of trance may be induced by a uniform field of vision. In the way of strobe or flashing light, stimulus is provided by indirect, moving light in the psychomanteum. Flickering candles or lamps are sometimes recommended to induce hallucination. It is supposed the indeterminate depth of the mirror’s darkness allows the eyes to relax and become unfocused, a state that reduces alertness.[2]

I found an article on ExtremeTech that goes a little more in depth about this material:

www.extremetech.com... r-telescopes

There's a video attached to the article regarding NASA doing research into the same type of carbon nanotube materials for telescopes.

Amazing. Great post.

Aside from military applications and ninjas.

I'd imagine magicians could put this material to work as well. Talk about an easy vanishing act.

Oddly the 2001 Monolith was also the first thing to pop into my mind while reading the OP.

I'd bet the military has been known about this and has been using this for sometime. For night operations and the like.

originally posted by: neo96
a reply to: idmonster

I don't think so.

With the 'creation' of 3d radar of modern day 'stealth' is a pipe dream.

Hell back even during world war two radar was able to pick up naval artillery rounds hitting the water.

No billion dollar paint needed.

Ok, quick and simple physics lesson.


Radar...a radio wave pulse (part of the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS)) is emitted and travels a distance at a known speed. It hits a reflective object and returns to the point of origin. clever maths allows us to work out the location, size, etc of reflective object.

Magic blacker than black aluminium does not reflect certain wave lengths of the EMS. The point I am making is that we do not know how much of the EMS the stuff absorbs. If it extends into the radiowave band, a coated object would be radio invisible.

Better still one of the reasons a manned mission to mars is unfeasible, is that cosmic radiation would kill the crew. (Radiation...another bandwidth of the EMS)

If this material extends to absorb a big enough range of the EMS, this could open up manned deep space exploration.

a reply to: idmonster

Yeah here is a physics lesson.

Radar detects weather right ?

What is weather made up of ?

en.wikipedia.org...

Doesn't matter what things are made of.

originally posted by: Qumulys
Maybe when it is applied to uniforms it not only stops light, but the infrared wavelengths from the wearer? Therefore stopping things like night-vision goggles from working?

its infrared signature is emmited by a body, not reflected, so that certainly wouldnt work.
allso im not quite sure if such a camouflage wouldnt draw more attention than it aviuds.

originally posted by: neo96
a reply to: idmonster

Yeah here is a physics lesson.

Radar detects weather right ?

What is weather made up of ?

en.wikipedia.org...

Doesn't matter what things are made of.

Weather as detected by radar is made up of (highly reflective) water. (check this link) en.wikipedia.org...

And it very does matter what things are made up of.

If radar is the equivalent of shooting a water pistol at a mirror and seeing how wet you get, this has the potential of shooting at a sponge.

VantaBlack sounds like a fitting, and cool name... Third thing that came to my mind, after only military uses, and shadow people, was Big Foot's Fur.

a reply to: theantediluvian
Sounds pretty CREEPY!

a reply to: zilebeliveunknown

99.999% efficient solar panels!

originally posted by: japhrimu
VantaBlack sounds like a fitting, and cool name... Third thing that came to my mind, after only military uses, and shadow people, was Big Foot's Fur.

Honestly, first thing I thought of was Garbo.

Maybe she didn't want to be alone anymore?

Second thing was the increase in efficiency to a ' Radiometer ', which uses black painted paddles to turn a kind of solar windmill.

Could it be scaled up to turn an electrical generator?

a reply to: theantediluvian

So they are finally telling us what our hi tech spy planes are now being made out of?

Here's the first video I found that has actual video showing the Vantablack material rather than still pictures.

www.youtube.com...

a reply to: abe froman

well you'd think id make extremely good night camouflage to conduct test flights at night without being seen. or it doesn't have to be for test flights, cover a stealth bomber in that and take it for a nighttime cruise and it'd be undetectable by sight

originally posted by: Junkheap
Here's the first video I found that has actual video showing the Vantablack material rather than still pictures.

www.youtube.com...

Here's the video:

a reply to: theantediluvian

Then there's my soul.

Couldn't this be used to create a hybrid solar/thermal electric generator? Since coating something that already has good heat retention properties in this, if my u del standing is correct would in effect substantially increase this property?

Not that it would be safe but if this is the case then even wind generator blades could be coated in this material. I would think that this would create an optical effect that would be extremely disorienting to pilots and wildlife however.

If this could be used to create an effective thermal electric generator then possibly covering roofs would be a great way to generate most of our electrical needs.

Hell, if it is durable enough and could be created in enough quantity this could make an amazing roadway material. Lane markings would be extremely easy to see and would reduce road glare on sunny days. This would possibly also make it easier to see road hazards as they would stand out much more.

If you were a ninja and your garb was made of this, you would be a killer shadow. This is true stealth. At night you would be rendered invisible. This is cool and a bit disturbing. You'd never see it coming.