MIT Scientists Create the World's Blackest Black

When you hear about the blackest black, it's impossible not to think of Vantablack, a fascinating material that absorbs 99.96 percent of light. However, its use has been limited by licensing issues and technical difficulties in application. But a group of MIT scientists have presented a black ten times blacker than Vantablack. It is based on carbon nanotubes, and technically it amounts to a discovery, because it was not the main goal of the research…

Anyone looking for basic information about Vantablack will discover that it is difficult to apply (though not impossible), and you can't use it in an artistic setting. Why? That's when the name Anish Kapoor comes up, an Indian sculptor who has exclusive rights over Vantablack, and who maintains a kind of open war with other artists, among whom stands out Stuart Semple, creator of the world's pinkest pink. (Visit Links 391 for more details)

The blackest black on the planet

The original goal of this team was to cultivate a layer of carbon nanotubes on a sheet of aluminum foil. Normally, this is impossible due to the oxide layer that develops quickly on the metal. However, the scientists used salt water to remove that layer from the aluminum, a kind of controlled corrosion.

The last step is to place the sheet in an oxygen-free oven at just over 530 degrees Celsius, with a nearby source of carbon. Under those conditions, the nanotubes grow on the aluminum without difficulty.

Diemut Strebe is an artist who was part of the research team, whose interest focuses on the optical properties of carbon nanotubes. Once they saw that black so deep, they decided to measure its absorption capacity, and obtained 99.995 percent.

The public demonstration of the new blackest black took place at the New York Stock Exchange. What did Strebe and the rest of the team do? They commissioned a diamond worth two million dollars, and covered it with the material so that it disappears. The work is called The Redemption of Vanity, and it will remain there until November 25.

Official announcement: Click here The Redemption of Vanity: Click here