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CNT Blackbody/Low-reflection plate
Another unique feature of vertically oriented CNT is that it is very black. Carbon materials are usually black, but vertically oriented CNT is distinctively black, almost at the same level as an ideal "black body". It has been reported that VACNT is blacker than black body furnaces often used for calibrating the emissivity of infrared thermometers (based on research of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology). A black body furnace has a chamber structure to prevent light from leaking to the outside; thus, the structure of the furnace is complicated. On the contrary, a CNT black body consists of a thin sheet like paper which can be pasted anywhere.
The secret of the CNT black body is in the orientation of CNTs. When the tips of vertically oriented CNTs become like a brush, the gaps of the brush form a structure that resonates and absorbs light. Therefore, the light that entered between the gaps of CNT is absorbed by the CNT as heat and is not reflected to the outside. Users must be careful not to touch the surface of CNT with their fingers, because this will affect the gap structure, and the blackness will be lost.
One of the uses of the CNT black body is for calibrating the emissivity of the infrared thermometers. It can be used as an alternative to conventional black body furnaces and black body pastes. Since this product is made of carbon, the operating temperature in the atmosphere is up to 500℃, but the operating temperature increases up to 2,000℃ in a vacuum state and inert atmosphere.
Also, detection of faint light emitted from a live specimen and optical fields such as an optical microscope and camera mirrors require the light reflectance and background light to be reduced. A CNT black body can be used as a high-performance back background.
CNT-Blackbody／Low-Reflection Standard
Left: Commercial low-reflection product (2% reflection) Right: CNT blackbody, blacker than the commercial product
In the commercial low-reflection products, the lowest reflection is 2-5%. CNT blackbody has a reflection of 1-2%.
CNT blackbody area：φ50㎜
Heatproof temperature：2000℃ in inert gas／400℃ in air