Last Updated : Wednesday , 16 January 2008 , 17 : 56 GMT ' Darkest ever ' material created By Helen Briggs BBC News science reporter Carbon nanotubes are a basic building block of nanotechnologyThe " darkest ever " substance known to science has been made in a US laboratory . The material was created from carbon nanotubes - sheets of carbon just one atom thick rolled up into cylinders . Researchers say it is the closest thing yet to the ideal black material , which absorbs light perfectly at all angles and over all wavelengths . The discovery is expected to have applications in the fields of electronics and solar energy . Theoretical clues An ideal black object absorbs all the colours of light and reflects none of them . In theory , it should be possible to make something that approaches the " perfect absorber ". They ' ve made the blackest material known to science Prof Sir John PendryBut it has proved difficult to construct an object that does not reflect light at all . Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy , New York , turned to carbon nanotubes - structures made from carbon , billionths of a metre across , that have unique properties . Theory suggests that nanotubes might make a super black object , and experts are just starting to test these predictions . Click here to see a nanotech future A team led by Dr Pulickel Ajayan , who is presently at Rice University in Houston , Texas , built an array of vertically aligned , low - density carbon nanotubes . Dr Shawn Lin measured the optical properties . The roughness of the material ' s surface was tuned to minimise its optical reflectance . BUCKYBALLS AND NANOTUBES Closed cages of carbon atomsAppear as spheres and tubesElectrical properties tuneableCould form tiny circuit wiresTubes make strong materialsBuckyballs will block HIV virusExperiments showed that this " forest " of carbon nanotubes was very good at absorbing light , and very poor at reflecting it . Reporting their findings in the journal Nano Letters , Dr Ajayan , Dr Lin and colleagues say the reflectance of the material is three times lower than previously achieved . This makes it the " darkest man - made material ever ". " The periodic nanotube structures make an ideal candidate for creating superdark materials , because it allows one to tailor light absorption by controlling the dimensions and periodicities of nanotubes in the structure , " said Dr Ajayan . Commenting on the study , Professor Sir John Pendry , who first predicted that such a discovery might be possible , said the results were promising . " They ' ve made the blackest material known to science , " the theoretical physicist from Imperial College , London , told BBC News . " The application will be to things like more efficient solar cells , more efficient solar panels and any application where you need to harvest light , " he added . SOME POTENTIAL USES OF NANOTECHNOLOGIES 1 - Organic Light Emitting Diodes ( OLEDs ) for displays 2 - Photovoltaic film that converts light into electricity 3 - Scratch - proof coated windows that clean themselves with UV 4 - Fabrics coated to resist stains and control temperature 5 - Intelligent clothing measures pulse and respiration 6 - Bucky - tubeframe is light but very strong 7 - Hip - joint made from biocompatible materials 8 - Nano - particle paint to prevent corrosion 9 - Thermo - chromic glass to regulate light 10 - Magnetic layers for compact data memory 11 - Carbon nanotube fuel cells to power electronics and vehicles 12 - Nano - engineered cochlear implant Click here to return