Black^2 (Black Squared) - Ultra Black Ink

Black2 - Black Squared  - Ultra Black Ink

You can jump to this item in our store, by clicking here for a 1/4 ounce.

You can jump to this item in our store, by clicking here for a 1 ounce.

 

There is a new 'Blackest' ink called Vantablack: 

Vantablack is a class of super-black coatings with total hemispherical reflectances below 1% in the visible spectrum. The name is a compound of the acronym VANTA and black. The original Vantablack coating was grown from a chemical vapour deposition process and is claimed to be the "world's darkest material",

However, Vanta black is extremely expensive and extremely hard to buy.  This interested us to find a similar paint that mere mortals can purchase.  We have found an extremely black paint which is similar to Vantablack with almost, but not quite, the same performance.

A common problem with camera lenses in the infrared is that lenses have 'hot spots' in the center and small apertures and when zoomed in.  The hot spots are caused by internal reflections off the lens barrels and baffles which the black coating becomes translucent in the infrared.  Light bounces around inside the lens causing the hot spots.  If the inside of the lens is coated with Black2, then Black2 stops those reflections. The coating significantly reduces the over-exposure, veiling flare, and ghosting that arise due to stray light. This could enable the rendering of higher-contrast, higher-quality pictures that utilize the full dynamic range of the sensor.

Black2 is an excellent heat absorber.  If you paint it on a heat sink, you will increase the performance of the heat sink.  If you paint it on an item, the item will absorb heat better.

Black2 can be used on glare shields or camera housings virtually eliminates sensor binding, removing glare and pixel washout, which leads to more accurate and safer systems. It can also be applied to LiDAR return optics to absorb all incident light, thereby improving the overall daylight system performance.

Black2 can be used by artists looking for an ultra black ink that does not reflect light and brings a dark depth unmatched by other black paints.

Our Black2 is the blackest, black we have ever seen.  Black2 is water based and can be applied easily with a small brush.  

Black2

  • Black from 200-1200n with < 1% reflection
  • Water based
  • Rough matte type appearance
  • Touching not recommended after painting
  • Safe to handle (although we recommend using gloves)
  • Great for things like coatings to stop unwanted reflections, hotspots and such
  • Absorbs Heat
  • Can be used on Heat Sinks to increase performance radiating heat

Below is an example of various blacks with the brightness turned up slightly so you can see the difference.  This picture is only for visible light.  In infrared, many paints become translucent in the infrared.  Black2 is black in the infrared, visible and ultraviolet.