The scientists from IIT Bombay have synthesise a carbon nanostructure that was “blacker than black”.
Key points
- Anything which is very black basically means that it is a good absorber of light.
- The structure of the silicon particles – 50-1,200 nanometers in size – resembled spikes arranged around a sphere.
- When scientists examined some of these spheres under a microscope, they were struck by the particles’ appearance: like tiny marigold flowers, made only of carbon. They called the material carbon nanoflorets.
- These nanoflorets could absorb sunlight at many frequencies and convert it to heat with an unprecedented efficiency.
- The nanoflorets also didn’t easily dissipate the heat generated into the environment, making the material a good candidate to heat other materials, like water, using solar energy.
- The nanofloret coatings can help heat up housing and sterilise surfaces in hospitals.
