Invisible metal created

Scientists from the US have discovered the secrets behind invisibility and mirages.

Professor Ali Aliev and his research team at the Alan G MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute at the University of Texas at Dallas have used transparent sheets of carbon nanotubes, which are stronger than steel, to make objects disappear.

The effect is achieved by using sheets of carbon nanotubes one molecule thick immersed in water which are then heated rapidly with an electrical current, as the sheet transfers heat to the water, it causes light rays to bend away from the sheets, making them invisible.

This process is the same effect that creates mirages on deserts and hot roads.

"Using these nanotube sheets, concealment can be realised over the entire optical range and rapidly turned on-and-off at will, using either electrical heating or a pulse of electromagnetic radiation," said Professor Aliev.

The report added that the research is of considerable interest for applications relating to loudspeakers and sonar projectors.

Posted by Ben Evans