If your nanotechnology stream is anything like mine today, it will have been swamped by accounts like this one of “Vantablack” fabric – supposedly the world-s blackest-ever material!
The material relies on a carbon nanotube forest that absorbs 99.965% of visible light that lands on it. Putting aside the questions of safety, and how likely those nanotubes are to become detached and inhaled (not something that you’d probably want), I can’t believe that no-one’s made the link yet between Vantablack and the Disaster Area stunt ship from Douglas Adams’ Restaurant at the End of the Universe:
‘It’s the wild colour scheme that freaks me out,’ said Zaphod, whose love affair with the ship had lasted almost three minutes into the flight. ‘Every time you try and operate these weird black controls that are labeled in black on a black background, a little black light lights up in black to let you know you’ve done it.’
Douglas would have been proud!
Note: if anyone comes across more technical information on Vantablack, let me know in the comments! Fun aside, it’s frustrating that the web is so chock full of articles along the lines of “it’s sooo black” that I can’t find any information at all on the technical details, or whether there are likely to be significant safety issues here. Carbon nanotubes are, after all, something that you definitely want to stay in your product and out of your lungs.