Vantablack - Wikipedia

Ben Jensen, founder and CTO of Surrey NanoSystems, invented the coatings, which were publicly unveiled in July 2014,[8] and eventually commercialized by the scientific team from Surrey NanoSystems.

Early development occurred at the National Physical Laboratory in the UK;[9] the term "Vanta" was coined later in its development.[10] As a light-absorbing chemical, the name "VANTABLACK" is trademarked by Surrey NanoSystems Limited,[11] and is referenced in three patents registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office.[12]

Surrey NanoSystems coats customer parts at its site in the UK; it also supplies a paint for commercial application.[13] Several other firms also distribute vertically aligned nanotube arrays, including NanoLab,[14] Santa Barbara Infrared,[15] and others.[16]

Commercial production

The first orders were delivered in July 2014.[16] In 2015, production was scaled up to meet demand in the aerospace and defense sectors.[citation needed]

Controversy

Controversy arose when Surrey Nanosystems granted Anish Kapoor exclusive rights to use Vantablack in artistic applications.[17] Many artists voiced opposition to his monopoly over the substance.[18]

In response, Nanolab, a Waltham, Massachusetts-based carbon nanotube manufacturer, partnered with Boston artist Jason Chase to release a nanotube-based black paint called Singularity Black.[19] During the first showing of the colour, Chase, alluding to Vantablack, stated that "its possibilities have been stunted by not being available to experiment with", and Singularity Black's release was important to create access.[20][21]