Overview
- The research team says the coating, described in a Matter & Light paper published June 18, is a waterborne composite of carbon black pigment and carbon nanotubes that self‑organizes into a rough, light‑trapping morphology.
- Measurements reported by the authors indicate an average visible reflectance of roughly 0.08 percent, equivalent to about 99.9 percent absorption, which the team contrasts with vertically aligned CNT arrays and Vantablack at roughly 0.04–0.05 percent reflectance.
- Nipsea reports the film passed key automotive checks for humidity, water resistance and adhesion and can be made with standard industrial milling and spray‑coating equipment, though the authors say processability still needs improvement for large‑scale production.
- Independent experts and the paper note that measuring ultra‑low reflectance near the ‘four nines’ level is technically difficult, so further independent validation and extended industrial testing are required before commercial vehicle use.
- The work targets luxury car markets in China where very deep black finishes are prized and builds on earlier VACNT efforts such as Vantablack by trading some absolute darkest‑black performance for greater robustness and manufacturability.