Chinese team’s ultra-black coating could make camera, space telescope images better
- Material can absorb more than 99 per cent of light in a range of wavelengths, scientists say
- It could have applications for precision optics in harsh environments, according to the study
A team of scientists in Shanghai have developed an ultra-black coating that they say can improve the image quality of cameras and space telescopes.
The material can absorb most of the unwanted scattered light that can enter a camera lens and create veiling glare or unintended bright spots in photos, according to the team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shanghai Institute of Ceramics.
They said the thin film could absorb 99.3 per cent of light across a wide range of wavelengths – from violet light at 400 nanometres to near-infrared at 1,000nm.
The light spectrum visible to the human eye ranges from 400nm to red light at 780nm.
“The film is promising for application in precision optics under harsh environmental conditions,” the researchers wrote in an article published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A last week.
“This robust ultra-black film … provides an effective solution for achieving broadband absorption properties on large curvature or irregular surfaces, which is promising in various applications such as astronomical observation and precision optics engineering.”
To create the extremely dark film, the team used alternating layers of titanium-aluminium-carbon composite – a black-coloured material that absorbs light – and silicon dioxide, which serves as an anti-reflection layer.
