Researchers at the University of British Columbia have stumbled upon a groundbreaking super-black material with a range of exciting potential uses, from fine jewelry to solar cells and precision optical devices.

Figure 1. Nxylon. (Credit: UBC Forestry/Ally Penders)

Professor Philip Evans and PhD student Kenny Cheng [1] were initially working with high-energy plasma to enhance the water resistance of wood. However, they noticed something extraordinary when they applied this technique to the cut ends of wood cells: the surfaces turned an extremely deep black. Figure 1 shows Nxylon.

Tests conducted by the physics and astronomy department at Texas A&M University confirmed that this material reflected less than one percent of visible light, absorbing nearly all the light it encountered. Rather than dismissing this unplanned discovery, the researchers decided to focus on developing super-black materials, marking a new approach in the quest for the darkest substances on Earth.

“Ultra-black or super-black material can absorb more than 99 per cent of the light that strikes it – significantly more so than normal black paint, which absorbs about 97.5 per cent of light,” explained Dr. Evans [2], a professor in the faculty of forestry and BC Leadership Chair in Advanced Forest Products Manufacturing Technology.

Super-black materials are increasingly in demand in fields such as astronomy, where ultra-black coatings reduce stray light and enhance image clarity. They also boost the efficiency of solar cells and are used in creating art pieces and luxury consumer items like watches.

The researchers have introduced prototype commercial products using their super-black wood, initially targeting watches and jewelry, with plans to explore further applications in the future.

The team has named their innovation Nxylon (niks-uh-lon), a fusion of Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night, and xylon, the Greek word for wood.

Interestingly, Nxylon maintains its ultra-black appearance even when coated with alloys, such as gold, making it suitable for use with electron microscopes. This is due to Nxylon’s structural properties, which trap light rather than relying on black pigments.

The UBC team has demonstrated that Nxylon can replace costly and rare black woods like ebony and rosewood in watch faces and can serve as an alternative to the black gemstone onyx in jewelry.

“Nxylon’s composition combines the benefits of natural materials with unique structural features, making it lightweight, stiff and easy to cut into intricate shapes,” said Dr. Evans.

Nxylon is made from basswood, a widely available North American tree prized for its use in carving, boxes, shutters, and musical instruments. It can also be produced from European lime wood.

Dr. Evans and his team are setting up a startup, Nxylon Corporation of Canada, to scale up Nxylon’s applications in collaboration with jewelers, artists, and tech product designers. They also plan to develop a commercial-scale plasma reactor for producing larger samples of this super-black wood, which could be used for non-reflective ceiling and wall tiles.

“Nxylon can be made from sustainable and renewable materials widely found in North America and Europe, leading to new applications for wood. The wood industry in B.C. is often seen as a sunset industry focused on commodity products—our research demonstrates its great untapped potential,” said Dr. Evans.

Other researchers contributing to this work include Vickie Ma, Dengcheng Feng, and Sara Xu from UBC’s faculty of forestry; Luke Schmidt from Texas A&M; and Mick Turner from The Australian National University.

Source: University of British Columbia

References:

1. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1053100
2. https://solondais.fr/2024/07/31/news253992/newly-created-super-black-wood-could-improve-telescopes-optical-devices-and-consumer-goods/

Cite this article:

Hana M (2024), UBC's Accidental Discovery Unveils Nxylon: The Darkest Wood Ever Created, AnaTechMaz, pp. 33