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R/£ Scientists stumble upon the mother of black surfaces
February 07, 2003 Edition -1
London - British scientists have come up with the blackest surface ever, an invention that could help with spacecraft navigation and the manufacture of optical instruments.
The material found by the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, London, reflects 10 to 20 times less light than the black paint used to reduce unwanted reflections in current instruments, according to the latest edition of New Scientist magazine.
The key to the nickel and phosphorus coating's blackness is that its surface is pitted with microscopic craters.
It is especially effective at absorbing light which hits it at an angle.
With the light source at right angles, the coating reflects less than 0,35%, by comparison with black paint, which reflects about 2,5%, or seven times more.
One of the early applications might be on star-trackers, which are navigational aids that help spacecraft to stay on course by fixing on pinpricks of light in the heavens.
Nigel Fox, who heads the optics group at the National Physical Laboratory, said: "When you look at the black, it is an incredibly beautiful surface. It's like black velvet." - Sapa-DPA
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