Chunlei Guo from the University of Rochester can change the color of virtually any metal as he pleases. Using a femtosecond laser, Guo briefly blazes a metal surface with an energy burst equivalent to that produced by the entire national power grid. The resultant product is a metal whose physical properties are altered by the creation of nanotubes whose light reflection and absorption affects the metal’s color. His process is a permanent alteration of the metal as it does not rely on paint or special coatings. In 2006, Guo made headlines when he discovered the technique by producing the darkest "black" known to man.