Vantablack

For other uses, see Vantablack (disambiguation).
Vantablack[1][2]
Names
Other names
  • Activated carbon high density skeleton
  • Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)
  • Vantablack S-VIS
  • Vantablack S-IR
Identifiers
Properties
C
Appearance Solid black coating
Density 2.5 mg/cm3
Melting point >3,000 °C (5,430 °F; 3,270 K)
Insoluble
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS07: Exclamation mark
Warning
H319, H335
P261, P281, P305+P351+P338
NIOSH (US health exposure limits):
REL (Recommended)
 <1 μg/m3 over an 8-hour TWA
Safety data sheet (SDS) CAS 308068-56-6
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Wrinkled aluminium foil with a portion—equally wrinkled—coated in Vantablack[3]

Vantablack is a class of super-black coatings with total hemispherical reflectances (THR) below 1%[4] in the visible spectrum. The name is a portmanteau of the acronym VANTA (vertically aligned nanotube arrays)[5] and black.

The original Vantablack coating was grown from a chemical vapour deposition process (CVD) and is claimed to be the "world's darkest material" absorbing up to 99.965% of visible light measured perpendicular to the material.[6][7] The coatings are unique in that they are super-black and retain uniform light absorption from almost all viewing angles. Original CVD Vantablack is no longer manufactured for commercial applications as it has been superseded by Vantablack spray coatings that offer similar optical performance in key parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.[8]

  1. ^ "Safety Data Sheet Vantablack S-VIS and S-IR" (PDF). Surrey NanoSystems. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  2. ^ "CAS 7440-44-0". European Chemicals Agency. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Video showing both sides of aluminium foil". YouTube.com. 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  4. ^ "About Vantablack | Surrey NanoSystems". www.surreynanosystems.com. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  5. ^ Jackson, Jeremy J.; Puretzky, Alex A.; More, Karren L.; Rouleau, Christopher M.; Eres, Gyula; Geohegan, David B. (3 Dec 2010). "Pulsed Growth of Vertically Aligned Nanotube Arrays with Variable Density". Nano. 4 (12): 7573–7581. doi:10.1021/nn102029y. PMID 21128670.
  6. ^ "Vantablack: U.K. Firm Shows Off 'World's Darkest Material'". NBCNews.com. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  7. ^ Guinness World Records: Darkest manmade substance, Guinness World Records 19 October 2015
  8. ^ "About | Surrey NanoSystems". www.surreynanosystems.com.