4/8/2017 VantablackWikipedia

Vantablack
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Vantablackisasubstancemadeofverticallyalignedcarbon
nanotubearrays[1]andistheblackestartificialsubstance Vantablack
known,absorbingupto99.965%ofradiationinthevisible
spectrum.[2][3] Colorcoordinates
Hextriplet #020003

sRGBB (r,g,b) (2,0,3)

Contents (33,100,0,99)
CMYKH(c,m,y,k)
1 Etymology HSV(h,s,v) (280,100%,0,6%)
2 Properties Source [Unsourced]
3 Development
4 Applications B:Normalizedto[0255](byte)
5 Commercialproduction H:Normalizedto[0100](hundred)
6 Seealso
7 References
8 Externallinks

Etymology
Thenamecomesfromtheterm"VerticallyAlignedNanoTube
Arrays".[4]

Properties
Aluminumfoilpartiallycoatedin
Vantablackiscomposedofaforestofverticaltubeswhichare Vantablack.
"grown"onasubstrateusingamodifiedchemicalvapor
depositionprocess(CVD).WhenlightstrikesVantablack,instead
ofbouncingoff,itbecomestrappedandiscontinuallydeflected
amongthetubes,eventuallybecomingabsorbedanddissipating
intoheat.[1]

Vantablackwasanimprovementoverprevioussimilarsubstances
developedatthetime.Vantablackabsorbs99.965%ofvisible
light.Also,thisnewmaterialcanbecreatedat400C(752F)
NASAhaddevelopedasimilarsubstancethatcouldbegrownat
750C(1,380F).Vantablackcanbegrownonmaterialsthat
cannotwithstandhighertemperatures.[1]
Vantablackgrownonmetalfoil.
TheoutgassingandparticlefalloutlevelsofVantablackarelow.
Thehighlevelsinsimilarsubstancesinthepasthadprevented
theircommercialusefulness.Vantablackalsohasgreaterresistancetomechanicalvibration,andhasgreater
thermalstability.[5]

Development

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vantablack 1/3
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EarlydevelopmentwascarriedoutattheNationalPhysicalLaboratory(UK),[6]althoughtheterm"Vanta"
wasn'tcoineduntilsometimelater.[7]Verticallyalignednanotubearraysarebeingsoldbyseveralfirms,
includingNanoLab,[8]SantaBarbaraInfrared[9]andothers.[10]

TheVantablacknameistrademarked[11]andhasbeenreferencedinthreepatentsregisteredintheUnitedStates
PatentandTrademarkOffice.[12]

Applications
Thissubstancehasmanypotentialapplications,includingpreventingstraylightfromenteringtelescopes,and
improvingtheperformanceofinfraredcamerasbothonEarthandinspace,[10]BenJensen,ChiefTechnology
Officer,SurreyNanoSystems,hasexplained:"Forexample,itreducesstraylight,improvingtheabilityof
sensitivetelescopestoseethefainteststars...Itsultralowreflectanceimprovesthesensitivityofterrestrial,
spaceandairborneinstrumentation."[10]

Vantablackmayalsoincreasetheabsorptionofheatinmaterialsusedinconcentratedsolarpowertechnology,
aswellasmilitaryapplicationssuchasthermalcamouflage.TheemissivityofVantablackandscalability
supportawiderangeofapplications.

ThematerialisbeingusedbyartistAnishKapoorwhosaid,"It'seffectivelylikeapaint...Imagineaspace
that'ssodarkthatasyouwalkinyouloseallsenseofwhereyouare,whatyouare,andespeciallyallsenseof
time."[13][14]ThecolourwasexclusivelylicensedtoKapoor'sstudioforartisticuse,outragingsomeother
artistssuchasChristianFurrorStuartSemplewhowouldbeunabletouseit.[15][16][17]However,the
manufacturerhasexplainedthatVantablackisalsosubjecttoexportcontrolsbytheUK,andduetoits
temperatureandphysicalrequirementsisnotpracticalforuseinmanytypesofart.[18]

Commercialproduction
In2015,productionwasscaleduptosatisfytheneedsofbuyersintheaerospaceanddefensesectors.Thefirst
ordersweredeliveredinJuly2014.[10]

Seealso
Superblack

References
1."Vantablack,theworld'sdarkestmaterial,isunveiledbyUK".SouthChinaMorningPostWorld.15July2014.
Retrieved19July2014.
2."Vantablack:U.K.FirmShowsOff'World'sDarkestMaterial' ".NBCNews.com.15July2014.Retrieved19July
2014.
3.GuinnessWorldRecords:Darkestmanmadesubstance(http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/worldrecords/darkest
manmadesubstance/),19October2015
4.Jackson,JeremyJ.Puretzky,AlexA.More,KarrenL.Rouleau,ChristopherM.Eres,GyulaGeohegan,DavidB.
(3Dec2010)."PulsedGrowthofVerticallyAlignedNanotubeArrayswithVariableDensity".Nano.American
ChemicalSociety(ACS):75737581.doi:10.1021/nn102029y.Retrieved9Oct2016.
5.Kuittinen,Tero(14July2014)."Scientistshavedevelopedablacksodeepitmakes3Dobjectslookflat".Yahoo!
NewsCanada.Retrieved19July2014.
6.Theocharous,E.Deshpande,R.Dillon,A.C.Lehman,J."Evaluationofapyroelectricdetectorwithacarbon
multiwallednanotubeblackcoatingintheinfrared".AppliedOptics.45(6):1093.Bibcode:2006ApOpt..45.1093T.
doi:10.1364/AO.45.001093.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vantablack 2/3
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7.Theocharous,S.P.Theocharous,E.Lehman,J.H."Theevaluationoftheperformanceoftwopyroelectricdetectors
withverticallyalignedmultiwalledcarbonnanotubecoatings".InfraredPhysics&Technology.55(4):299305.
Bibcode:2012InPhT..55..299T.doi:10.1016/j.infrared.2012.03.006.
8."NanoLabmultiwalledcarbonnanotubes,alignedcarbonnanotubearrays,nanoparticles,nanotubepaper,dispersant,
nanowires".www.nanolab.com.Retrieved20170331.
9.http://www.sbir.com."Home|SBIR|SantaBarbaraInfraredInc.".www.sbir.com.Retrieved20170331.
10.Howard,Jacqueline(14July2014)."ThisMayBeTheWorld'sDarkestMaterialYet".HuffingtonPost.Retrieved
19July2014.
11."VANTABLACKTrademarkofSurreyNanoSystemsLimitedRegistrationNumber4783953SerialNumber
79156544::JustiaTrademarks".trademarks.justia.com.Retrieved20170331.
12."ResultsofSearchinUSPatentCollectiondbfor:Vantablack:3patents."(http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nphParser?S
ect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearchbool.html&r=0&f=S&l=50&TERM1=Vanta
black&FIELD1=&co1=AND&TERM2=&FIELD2=&d=PTXT).UnitedStatesPatentandTrademarkOffice.
RetrievedFebruary2,2017.
13."Howblackcanblackbe?".bbc.co.uk.BBCNews.23September2014.Retrieved7December2014.
14."Artistsatwaraftertopsculptorisgivenexclusiverightstothepurestblackpainteverwhichisusedonstealthjets".
DailyMailOnline.15March2016.Retrieved15March2016.
15.Frank,Priscilla(29February2016)."AnishKapoorAngersArtistsBySeizingExclusiveRightsTo'BlackestBlack'
Pigment"viaHuffPost.
16."SomeArtistsAreSeeingRedOverANew'Black' ".NPR.org.Retrieved20170331.
17.RoisinO'Connor:AnishKapoorgetshishandson'pinkestpink'afterbeingbannedfromusebyitscreator(http://ww
w.independent.co.uk/artsentertainment/art/news/anishkapoorpinkestpinkblackestblackpaintwara7497751.html),
independent.co.uk,27December2016
18."FAQs|SurreyNanoSystems".www.surreynanosystems.com.Retrieved20170331.

Externallinks
Anthony,Sebastian(July14,2014)."It'slikestaring'intoablackhole':World'sdarkestmaterialwillbe
usedtomakeverystealthyaircraft,bettertelescopes".ExtremeTech."Evenwhenyoubendorcrumple
theVantablack,thematerialorrather,thedarknothingnesscreatedbythematerial[still]looks
completelyflat"

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