Comparisons of the optical, surface, and constituent properties of morphologically variant black materials

We present comparisons of the optical, surface, and physical properties of morphologically variant black materials used to suppress reflected and scattered stray light. The black materials in this study include: carbon aerogel, black appliqués, and anodized surfaces. Each material utilizes a different geometry and material properties to absorb incident radiation. The optical measurements in this paper cover the ultraviolet to the infrared spectral regions and include: Bi-directional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF), Directional Hemispherical Reflectance (DHR) as a function of incidence angle and incident polarization state, and infrared reflectance microscopy. In addition, the surface and constituent properties of the black materials are measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), stylus profilometry, and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Finally, we present optical constant estimates for two of the black materials studied.