Researchers Develop 99.9% Light-Absorbing Coating for Cars and Optical Systems
Updated
Updated · Chemical & Engineering News · Jun 18
Researchers Develop 99.9% Light-Absorbing Coating for Cars and Optical Systems
2 articles · Updated · Chemical & Engineering News · Jun 18
Summary
More than 99.9% of visible light is absorbed by a new ultrablack coating that also passes humidity, water-resistance and adhesion tests required for automotive use.
Researchers achieved that balance by combining carbon nanotubes with conventional carbon-black pigment, creating a microscopic peaks-and-valleys structure that traps light through repeated scattering.
Standard industrial milling equipment and conventional spray-coating methods can produce and apply the material, addressing the cost and fragility problems that have limited nanotube-based coatings such as Vantablack.
Luxury vehicles are an immediate target, but the coating could also reduce stray reflections in optical and sensing systems, where extreme blackness helps suppress noise.