Buzz
A collaboration between Ten24 digital scanning, the BBC "One Show," and Black Edge 3D printing resulted in the first art piece enveloped in Vantablack – a 3D bronze sculpture of BBC Science reporter Marty Jopson's face, crafted by Surrey NanoSystems.Surrey NanoSystems claims that Vantablack, a pigment so dark it holds an independently verified world record as the darkest man-made material, deserves the title of the blackest black. According to the company's website, Vantablack absorbs an astonishing 99.965% of light. But is it truly the blackest shade?
Vantablack is a pigment developed by Surrey NanoSystems in 2014. The term 'Vantablack' is derived from the acronym for Vertically Aligned Nano Tube Array Black. The company reports that it absorbs 99.965% of light, earning it the distinction of being the darkest black at the time of its creation.
What Is Vantablack?
Vantablack was initially developed for space exploration and optical applications, primarily for enhancing visibility of distant celestial bodies. For example, by applying Vantablack as a coating on telescopes, it absorbs glare, making it easier to observe faraway stars and planets.
The first Vantablack technique from Surrey NanoSystems involved using chemical reactions to "grow" billions of microscopic carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the object's surface. These CNTs stood upright and were tightly packed together.
The CNTs trap almost all incoming light, causing the object to appear like an empty black void. While typical black objects or paints absorb light, they still reflect enough for visibility. Vantablack, however, aims to absorb as much light as possible, eliminating visible depth and texture, leaving only a shadow of the object.
Newer iterations of Vantablack use alternative arrangements of carbon nanotubes, allowing for more conventional application methods that achieve a similar effect. These newer versions can be sprayed on with robots, bypassing the need for a CVD reactor. This makes Vantablack more adaptable, which is how it ended up on both a BMW X6 SUV and high-tech space equipment.
Vantablack and BMW
Several automobile manufacturers reached out to Surrey NanoSystems to cover their vehicles with the Vantablack VBX2 finish, but it was only when BMW expressed interest that the company agreed. "We turned down numerous requests from various automobile manufacturers in the past," Ben Jensen, founder and chief technical officer of Surrey NanoSystems, said in a press statement. "It took the BMW X6 and its unique, expressive design for us to entertain the idea."
The VBX2 coating makes the BMW X6 appear two-dimensional, though some angles still show slight reflections. But what was BMW's intention beyond simply attracting attention to the X6 SUV? Once covered in Vantablack, the design team was able to examine the vehicle from a fresh perspective, focusing solely on proportions and outlines without the distractions typically hidden by surface coatings.
While the BMW X6 is a unique, one-off model designed purely for display, it offers valuable insights to designers regarding the coating's performance, potential, and drawbacks. For example, advanced safety systems relying on intricate sensor networks — especially LiDAR systems that detect reflected light — are still capable of perceiving the X6. One such system is the emergency braking feature, which automatically slows or halts your vehicle if it detects you're getting too close to another car. LiDAR company Ouster tested its lasers on the BMW X6, and the system was still able to register the car. Despite Vantablack's near invisibility, modern technology can still detect the vehicle.
The BMW X6 is covered with Vantablack VBX2 paint, giving it an almost two-dimensional appearance.
Surrey NanoSystemsCan You Buy Vantablack?
Vantablack remains difficult to produce and expensive, which is why it isn't commercially available. However, Surrey NanoSystems does offer samples to universities, museums, and research institutions for display purposes.
Due to the unique application process, the company has granted exclusive rights to use Vantablack S-VIS to artist Anish Kapoor of Kapoor Studios UK. It's not that anyone could simply call up and buy a few gallons of the stuff, but the decision sparked significant controversy for seeming to contradict the collaborative spirit of the art world.
However, other artists have demonstrated that you don't need an advanced lab or a huge budget to achieve a similar effect on a smaller scale. Artist Stuart Semple created two incredibly dark matte black acrylic paints, Black 2.0 and Black 3.0, which are exceptionally black. Though not the absolute darkest blacks out there, Semple’s website mentions that their affordability, accessibility, ease of use, and online availability are what make them stand out. (See Now That's Interesting below for more details.)
In the fall of 2019, MIT engineers unveiled an even darker black coating capable of absorbing 99.995% of visible light. This coating, made of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs), was designed for use in optical and space science applications.
Nevertheless, there are still individuals in the art world and beyond who are determined to discover the absolute darkest black, so it’s possible that one day we’ll be able to capture the final fractions of a percent of visible light.
Vantablack led to a social media showdown between Anish Kapoor, the artist who secured the exclusive rights to the coating, and Stuart Semple, an artist frustrated by his inability to use it in his own works due to Kapoor’s exclusivity agreement. In response, Semple created his own pigments, such as the Pinkest Pink and the aforementioned Black 2.0 and Black 3.0, and sells them online … but not to Kapoor.
