There's a New Blackest Material Ever, and It's Eating a Diamond As We Speak

a reply to: Phage

I guess that ends up making you - having to be that much more aware when on the road at dusk and during the night time.

a reply to: Bhadhidar

Great questions.

I wish I had answer's to them.

I can't help but think of the military applications. They would be limited because of the heat radiated should be detectable but if thermals are not in the area then night operations would be virtually undetectable.

Another thing I wonder is the heating applications it could be used for. Different solar conversions and such.

originally posted by: RickyD
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Well considering black is not really a color in true form its an absence of it completely you're right, you won't see it. Not so sure I'd be scared of it as I have experienced it...inside a cave past a certain point the is literally no light except what you brought in. When I was younger I went spelunking and part of the trip around lunch was to show us what it would be like...all the lights go off and you literally can't see as if you are blind...because our eyes only work when light is present...thats an easy way to experience true black for yourself. Sensory deprivation chambers also simulate this.

I've experienced the same on a number of occasions, like a dark-room for example, but that's not really what I'm talking about. They had a sheet of material which was coated with a substance which, at the time, was more 'black' than vantablack (I forget what it was called). They could induce electrical currents across this material and change it's relative 'blackness'. They then projected some images on this material where half of the image was on the silver screen and the other half was being projected onto this material. It's almost impossible to describe what we saw, but at first you only saw half of the image (the part projected onto the silver screen) because half of the image could not be reflected back. Then they started inducing current across the black material. At first you could begin to see the other half of the image, but then they could manipulate the image by manipulating the black material so the image appeared to be something completely different. It was crazy!

And...what we saw was the non-classified version!

Going in, when they said we were going to spend the next 4 hours learning about the "color" black, I fully expected boredom to the point of physical pain. I had no idea it would be such a riveting and memorable discussion!

In addition to having to sign NDA's, we also had to sign some 'hold harmless' agreements (true story) because some of the things we saw had the potential to actually cause permanent mental impairment in certain people. I couldn't figure out why (at first), but then they started showing things like ultra-high resolution 25 "giga"pixel images projected onto this same material. (This was the first time I'd ever seen images like this). It short order it felt like your brain was turning inside out! I've never seen anything like it before. They could literally add, or take away, information (data) from an image by manipulating the background and even though you could not visually perceive any optical difference, your brain could tell the image was changing. (they would prove it by zooming in periodically and illustrating what information was being removed or added). Like a subliminal mind-screw. It was truly bizarre and chilling.

When the whole thing was over everyone in our group commented afterward about feeling physically tired and mentally completely exhausted. It definitely had a very real effect. If you were ever to put someone in an immersive environment with this technology it was easy to understand how you could easily damage or manipulate them mentally.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

No a dark room is not absent of all light...but once you pass the twilite point in a cave where the light no longer reaches...like literally it is abscent photons...your eyes no longer work. They are indeed aperatures for your brain to process into what you see and without light you do not see. Which is exactly what you were talking about...true black is the abcense of light. This is also why you can't project true black...at least not using light

Edit: posted before finishing

Sounds like what you saw was some pretty weird tech wonder if these nano tubes or some similar have been around longer than is public knowledge. Either way I wouldn't be scared of the abscense of light as much as the ability to manipulate what I can see to the point my brain cant tell.

a reply to: RickyD

They are indeed aperatures for your brain to process into what you see and without light you do not see.

Without sensory input, the brain makes stuff up. Visual, auditory, tactile.

See John Lilly.

a reply to: RickyD

What are we doin' here...my cave is darker than your dark-room??? Or what? Well, my six feet under in a pine box is darker than your cave, so there!

Or, as I say..."It's darker than the inside of a cow tonight!"

a reply to: Phage

I suppose after enough time in that environment...for us in that cave it was only a min or 2...so I didn't see anything...literally. I held my hand basically to my nose and couldnt see it. It was darker than closing my eyes actually. I suppose when you are wired to expect something and you dont get what the brain expects it tries to compensate.

a reply to: RickyD

It does. And it doesn't have to be dark.
I've been lost in the clouds while flying and my eyes (brain) started pulling some weird stuff.

a reply to: RickyD

BTW...in Wyoming I worked at the Trona mines for a while, and in order to go down into the mines we had to be MSHA certified. So yes, they would turn out all the lights so it was completely pitch black to make sure you knew how to get to all your safety gear and use it properly. So I do understand what you're talking about.

a reply to: Phage

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. I've had this happen in a snow whiteout before on top of a mountain. It was pretty spooky because you couldn't see a damn thing. You could hold your hand in front of your face and not see it, and it was bright out.

ETA - Your brain starts inserting things your other senses detect. So you hear something and suddenly an image forms of what you heard.

Imagine what the trapped miners in Chile experienced!

They could only turn on a light for a few seconds every few...DAYS!

If you could cover a huge solar still with this to desalinate water I wonder what type of improvements could be seen.

a reply to: Grimpachi

Interesting thought. It doesn't reflect light, but I'm not sure that means it 'absorbs' it entirely either.

Hmmmmm...might have to look into that. The 'color' black converts light to heat by non reflection, but I'm not sure this stuff behaves the same way. Intuitively, it would seem like it has to, but I'm not sure the answer is so straight forward.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

A black body is a theoretical model. Nevertheless, it would radiate, if it existed.

There are wavelengths other than the visible ones and this would seem to involve only those.

originally posted by: Grimpachi
I can't help but think of the military applications. They would be limited because of the heat radiated should be detectable but if thermals are not in the area then night operations would be virtually undetectable.

This. You KNOW there will be or are mil applications.

Cheers

a reply to: LtFluffyCakes96

Oh, sorry it was a demo car.
As you said, I highly doubt its legal for it to be on the road painted vantablack.

a reply to: Lumenari

Jeez, holding a grudge much ?? Fair enough though, who am i to judge. But kinda makes your heart as black as that diamond eating matter though also doesn't it?????

Just a thought.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I mean the photons have to go somewhere right lol.

a reply to: LtFluffyCakes96

This would be put to good use in a haunted house attraction