Material that blocks visible light but not uv light

In summary: CBS News Sunday Morning reported on July 18, 2009 that the US military is studying a new type of glass that is transparent to gamma and X-rays. The glass is made from a new kind of plastic that is non-toxic and can be hardened to withstand high temperatures. He said that the military is not sure yet if this glass could be used to protect soldiers from radiation.
  • #1
k33g0rz
6
0
is it possible to have a material block high wavelength waves but not low length waves? Gamma rays can pass through objects that visible light cannot. Any thoughts?

I was thinking a certain bandgap?
 
Science news on Phys.org
  • #2
k33g0rz said:
is it possible to have a material block high wavelength waves but not low length waves? Gamma rays can pass through objects that visible light cannot. Any thoughts?

I was thinking a certain bandgap?

Aluminium; as long as you carefully knock out electrons from the atoms. A recent experiment used a laser to carefully knock out the electrons, and succeeded in making a small sample of aluminium transparent to "extreme ultraviolet radiation". I am not sure how transparent it would be to ordinary light.

Difficulties with practical applications for this material are as follows:
  • Scientists only managed to get a tiny sample into this transparent state: less than a 20th of the width of a human hair in diameter.
  • The laser required needed a power burst similar to what is needed for providing electricity to an entire city (briefly).
  • The material remained in this state for about 40 femtoseconds.

See Transparent aluminium is 'new state of matter at physorg.com; and the paper Turning solid aluminium transparent by intense soft X-ray photoionization by Bob Nagler et al in Nature Physics 5, pp 693 - 696 (2009), doi:10.1038/nphys1341

There may be other materials that are easier to use... but I enjoyed reading about this one.
 
  • #3
wow, that was interesting! i guess people are still way off from figuring it out. Interesting that it seems like its a spacing problem, as gamma/xrays also pass through material with ease. anyone else have any articles on this type?
 
  • #4
k33g0rz said:
is it possible to have a material block high wavelength waves but not low length waves? Gamma rays can pass through objects that visible light cannot. Any thoughts?

I was thinking a certain bandgap?

There are much less exotic materials that the weird aluminium one I mentioned at first. I've just had a quick look.

"Wood's glass" (wikipedia link) is a form of glass that is treated to be opaque to almost all visible light, but transparent to near ultraviolet. You can also buy glass filters that are transparent to ultraviolet and opaque to visible. See this commercial site for some of the filters you can obtain.
 
  • #5
I think there are also "tan through" fabrics that are transparent to UV for swimwear.
 
  • #6
i think clouds can also do the same thing but am not sure whether it is a material or not?
 
  • #7
There are filters for blacklights (UV fluorescent lamps with short and long UV Hg lines) that block visible light.
Bob S
 

1. What is a material that blocks visible light but not UV light?

There are several materials that are capable of blocking visible light while still allowing UV light to pass through. Some examples include special types of glass, such as UV-filtering glass, as well as certain types of plastics and films.

2. How does a material block visible light but not UV light?

Materials that block visible light but allow UV light to pass through typically have specific properties that filter out certain wavelengths of light. This can be achieved through the material's chemical composition, structure, or surface coatings.

3. What are the applications of materials that block visible light but not UV light?

These types of materials are commonly used in various industries, such as in the production of sunglasses, protective eyewear, and windows for buildings and vehicles. They are also used in scientific and medical settings, such as for UV light therapy and sterilization processes.

4. Can materials that block visible light but not UV light be harmful?

In general, these materials are not harmful as they are specifically designed to filter out certain wavelengths of light. However, prolonged exposure to UV light can still be harmful to the eyes and skin, so it is important to use these materials in conjunction with proper protection, such as sunscreen and UV-blocking eyewear.

5. How can I test if a material blocks visible light but not UV light?

There are several ways to test the UV-blocking capabilities of a material, such as using a UV light meter or exposing the material to UV light and observing if any visible light passes through. It is also important to note that the effectiveness of the UV-blocking material may vary depending on the type and intensity of the UV light source.

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