This Is The New Blackest Black Material On Earth

Back in 2014, researchers in the UK at Surrey NanoSystems created the darkest material on the planet with Vantablack, made from low-temperature carbon nanotubes. As the blackest of blacks ever, the material could absorb 99.96% of light that comes into contact with it, basically creating the appearance of empty void when looked at in broad daylight. Well, now Surrey NanoSystems is back with Vantablack 2, an even blacker black than the previous blackest black.

The material is so dark that it can create the illusion of a flat surface even when it's applied to something uneven, like wrinkled aluminum foil. Here's a clip of the original Vantablack in action, notice how it appears as if there's literally nothing there.

The new Vantablack is even darker than this! Surrey NanoSystems says the new version is so dark, that its spectrometers can't even measure how much the percentage of light being absorbed, something that's never happened before. Their new clip shows a high power laser pointer moving across it, with little to no visible reflection.

Now that there's nothing more black than this new version of Vantablack, what exactly do you use it for? Well, scientists suggest several possible applications, namely for military or space uses, such as covering vehicles that need true stealth capabilities, or as a way to calibrate things like space telescopes and infrared scanners. Obviously the best use would be for a rock & roll album cover.

SOURCE Surrey NanoSystems