Black Isn’t Black Anymore – Scientists Have Discovered A New Black That’s Freaking People Out!
Most people are always on a constant lookout for the blackest black they can ever find. Whether it’s for theatrical performances or for artistic usages, black has always been a favorite. But can you name some of the blackest things you’ve ever seen? A broken street light? A dark room? Perhaps dark black colors? Well, here’s something to leave you speechless – there’s a new black in town that’s blacker than anything you’ve ever seen and it’s called Vantablack S-VIS. Yes, you guessed it, it’s blacker than Vantablack, which was revealed in 2014. The Vantablack S-VIS was created by a British company called Surrey NanoSystems and it has the ability to absorb 99.8 percent of light including infrared and ultraviolet!
Vantablack S-VIS is made up of structures called the nanotubes that make it look like a black hole and these nanotubes, which are about 20 nanometers long, are made out of carbon. To give you an example of how small they are, about 3,000 nanotubes are equal to the width of a single human hair. Yes, pretty microscopic, we’d say! And because Vantablack is made up of a high number of nanotubes, it is able to absorb direct and indirect light. When light hits the surface of Vantablack it gets trapped between the nanotubes and doesn’t reflect back to your eyes, leaving you with the blackest black you will ever see.
To see how Vantablack can play with your mind, all you have to do is spray a 3D object with it. A normal black will still be able to reveal all curves and corners of the object, but Vantablack makes a 3D object look completely flat! So, why did Surrey NanoSystems create Vantablack S-VIS? Why create something that doesn’t reflect light? Well, apparently Vantablack S-VIS can help revolutionize scientific discoveries. It’s important to note that the Hubble Telescope, that rotates around the Earth, uses black paint in order to reduce light reflection when it’s capturing images. Can you imagine the kind of images scientists will receive if the Hubble Telescope uses Vantablack S-VIS instead of just regular black paint?
The black paint used on Hubble is 17 times more reflective, so Vantablack can help the telescope capture clear images without any light interference. According to Business Insider, Vantablack is so black that no one can measure how dark it really is. Also, unlike Vantablack, the Vantablack S-VIS is easier to apply and can be used on large surfaces, however, that doesn’t mean that it has no drawbacks. For instance, the surface it is applied to should be well protected because Vantablack S-VIS cannot withstand the ravages of time. Currently, wristwatches have started using Vantablack so chances are that Vantablack S-VIS will soon be commercially available.
What’s the blackest black you’ve ever seen? Let us know in the comments below. Don’t forget to share this article with your friends!
