EXCLUSIVE: How can architects take advantage of 'the world's darkest material?'
Architects around the world are locked in a secretive race to find creative applications for Vantablack S-VIS – a new spray version of the world's blackest material – according to the developers of the technology.
Vantablack, hailed by its British developer Surrey NanoSystems as "the world's darkest material", is 17 times less reflective than the super-black paint used to minimise stray light in the Hubble space telescope.
It has been described by artist Anish Kapoor – who has reportedly secured exclusive rights to use the colour in artwork – as “so deeply black it’s like staring into a black hole.”
Vantablack S-VIS – which traps 99.8 per cent of light compared to Vantablack’s 99.965 per cent – is a new development which allows the pigment to be applied to almost any stable material surface using a spray painting process.
The only major requirements are the surface must be able to withstand temperatures up to 100°C, and will be protected from people touching it – for example by covering it with glass panels – so as to avoid damage to its billions of nanometre-sized optical cavities.
Any company can apply to Surrey NanoSystems to use Vantablack S-VIS, although individuals are not allowed to purchase it.
In an interview with CLAD, the company’s Chief Technology Officer Ben Jensen revealed architects are in discussions with the company to use the spray “in loads of weird and wonderful and technically challenging ways.”
“There are so many possible uses of this technology and people are definitely looking at ways to use it quickly in exciting ways,” he said.
“There are two interesting applications that have been looked at particularly for architects. One is creating mood spaces with an optical or visual effect and lighting without backflash or scattered light. The other is to do with climate control within buildings on a large scale, and how heat is transferred around buildings and roof space areas.”
When applied to three dimensional surfaces, Vantablack S-VIS creates an illusion of extreme flatness, meaning it can be used to disguise bumpy air vents and other potentially unattractive features.
“The material has a unique effect,” said Jensen. “You only realise how black it is when you hold something you thought was black next to it and realise it looks very grey in comparison. This means it can be used by architects for mood spaces, neat optical effects or something more comprehensive. However, there’s a risk it could be uncomfortable because the almost complete absence of light makes people disoriented with no visual reference points.”
Jensen said that the company would have the final say in how the material is used, and any decision depends on “what the architects want to achieve with it.”
“No one else has been able to make a commercially available spray material which reflects so little light, and we’ve made a big investment in the technology,” he said. “It’s a huge step forward, so we want to make sure it’s used in a way that adds value to places. We don’t just want to chuck it out there and see if someone does something good. If used well, it can have a huge impact on buildings.”
Vantablack nanotechnology architecture design public space Surrey NanoSystems
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