Thanks to an accidental discovery, researchers at the University of British Columbia have created a new super-black material that absorbs almost all light, opening the door to potential applications in fine jewelry, solar cells and precision optical devices.
Professor Philip Evans and PhD student Kenny Cheng were experimenting with using high-energy plasma to make wood more water-resistant. However, when they applied the technique to the cut ends of wood cells, the surfaces turned very black.
Measurements by the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University confirmed that the material reflects less than one percent of visible light, and absorbs almost all of the light that hits it.
Rather than ignore this accidental discovery, the team decided to shift their focus to designing ultra-black materials, providing a new approach to searching for the darkest materials on Earth.
“Super-black or ultra-black materials can absorb more than 99 per cent of the light that falls on them – much more than regular black paint, which absorbs about 97.5 per cent of light,” explained Dr. Evans, a professor in the Faculty of Forestry and head of the Department of Advanced Forest Products Manufacturing Technology at UBC.
Super-black materials are increasingly needed in astronomy, where super-black coatings on instruments help reduce stray light and improve image clarity. Super-black coatings can boost the efficiency of solar cells. They are also used in art and luxury consumer goods such as watches.
The researchers have developed prototypes of commercial products using the super black wood, initially focusing on watches and jewelry, with plans to explore other commercial applications in the future.
Wonder wood
The team named and trademarked their discovery Nyxlon (niks-uh-lon), after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night, and Xylon, the Greek word for wood.
Even more amazing is that Nxylon remains black even when coated with an alloy, such as the gold paint that is applied to wood to make it conductive enough to be viewed and studied with an electron microscope. This is because Nxylon’s structure inherently blocks light rather than relying on black pigments.
The University of British Columbia team has demonstrated that Nxylon can replace expensive and rare black woods such as ebony and rosewood in watch faces, and could be used in jewelry to replace black onyx.
“Nxylon’s formulation combines the benefits of natural materials with unique structural features, making it lightweight, rigid and easy to cut into complex shapes,” said Dr. Evans.
Nxylon is made from basswood, a tree that is widespread in North America and prized for hand carvings, boxes, curtains, and musical instruments, although other types of wood such as European basswood can also be used.
Breathing new life into forests
Dr. Evans and his colleagues plan to launch a startup company, Nxylon Corporation of Canada, to expand Nxylon’s applications with jewelers, artists, and tech product designers. They also plan to develop a commercial-scale plasma reactor to produce larger, super-black wood samples suitable for non-reflective ceilings and walls.
“Nxylon can be made from sustainable, renewable materials that are widely available in North America and Europe, leading to new applications for wood. The wood industry in British Columbia is often viewed as a dying industry focused on basic products – our research shows its great untapped potential,” said Dr. Evans.
Other researchers who contributed to this work include Vicki Ma, Dingxing Feng, and Sarah Xu (all from the University of British Columbia Forestry faculty); Luke Schmidt (from Texas A&M University); and Mick Turner (from the Australian National University).
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