The Most Important Thing About This Shade Of Black Is Not An Artist’s Rights
Lost in last week’s furor over an artist getting the rights to a shade of black was the chemistry that made it possible.
At issue is a material called Vantablack and its derivative S-VIS. Developed by a British company called Surrey Nanosystems, these coatings absorb an incredible amount of light—as much as 99.96% depending on what wavelength you consider. They’re so black that seeing them feels like looking into a hole.
