Does the MBP 21 use carbon nanotubes for keyboard insert?

[csjh_]

Hi,


In 2020 Apple got a patent on using carbon nanotubes to dye aluminum black during anodizing.

Apple patented the vantablack "Super Black" color for the MacBook - ITZone

The ITZone platform Vietnam is the community for anyone interested in news, training seminars, presentations etc in the IT industry

itzone.com.vn

Apple Patent Suggests It's Borrowing Some Vantablack Tricks for Black MacBooks

Before it started making all of its laptops out of aluminum, Apple offered MacBooks with a matte black finish that, so far, has been challenging to

gizmodo.com

Patent Shows How Apple Can Create a Black-Colored MacBook

To create the black color, Apple’s patent proposes using 'nano-scale tubes' in a layer over the metal surface to absorb incoming visible light.

uk.pcmag.com

In 2021, the MBP 14" and 16" got a black keyboard insert in anodized aluminum. Could it be carbon nanotubes?

I don't really like the idea of carbon nanotubes as they have some less desirable toxicity and environmental issues.

 

[theorist9]

Hi,


In 2020 Apple got a patent on using carbon nanotubes to dye aluminum black during anodizing.

Apple patented the vantablack "Super Black" color for the MacBook - ITZone

The ITZone platform Vietnam is the community for anyone interested in news, training seminars, presentations etc in the IT industry

itzone.com.vn

Apple Patent Suggests It's Borrowing Some Vantablack Tricks for Black MacBooks

Before it started making all of its laptops out of aluminum, Apple offered MacBooks with a matte black finish that, so far, has been challenging to

gizmodo.com

Patent Shows How Apple Can Create a Black-Colored MacBook

To create the black color, Apple’s patent proposes using 'nano-scale tubes' in a layer over the metal surface to absorb incoming visible light.

uk.pcmag.com

In 2021, the MBP 14" and 16" got a black keyboard insert in anodized aluminum. Could it be carbon nanotubes?

I don't really like the idea of carbon nanotubes as they have some less desirable toxicity and environmental issues.

Highly unlikely. The black anodized aluminum keyboard background is a conventional black. It looks nothing like vantablack, which is eerily black because it traps nearly all the incoming photons within carbon nanotubes.

More generally, Apple patents a huge amount of stuff, only a small fraction of which actually appears in their commerical products.

 

[hoo-man-b-ing]

This isn’t my field, but it seems like carbon nanotubes offer high optical absorption and the black inserts don’t seem to share that characteristic.

That said, optical absorption capacity can serve as an indicator to quantify the *quality* of carbon nanotube powders so it’s possible that the insert does use the powder but that the tubes aren’t especially high quality.

My bet is that this isn’t it. Apple does like to incrementally test new materials, but I would bet they’d find something smaller to start with (e.g., an Apple Watch, accessory, etc.)

Also, based on my admittedly limited research, it seems the toxicity of this material is still up for debate and needs a consistent way to measure its risk through various intake mechanisms (e.g., dermal contact vs injection vs ingestion)