Black is an incredibly versatile color that can convey many different meanings and aesthetics. From mysterious and elegant to bold and powerful, black comes in many shades that create distinct looks and feels. But when it comes to the deepest, darkest black imaginable, what shade comes out on top?
Definitions of Key Terms
Before diving into the darkest blacks, it’s important to understand some key concepts:
Hue – The attribute of color that classifies it by name. For example, red, blue, yellow, etc. Black is technically an achromatic color, meaning it has no hue.
Shade – A hue that has been made darker by adding black to it. Adding more black darkens the shade further.
Tint – A hue that has been made lighter by adding white to it. The more white added, the lighter the tint.
Tone – Produced by adding gray to a hue to make it less saturated.
Saturation – The intensity of a color determined by how pure it is. Highly saturated colors are vivid and bright. Desaturated colors are muted and grayish.
Brightness – How light or dark a color appears. High brightness means very light, low brightness means very dark.
Lightness – Similar to brightness, but specifically referring to how much white or black has been added to a color.
So in summary, the darkest shades of black have very low brightness/lightness with full saturation.
Deepest Known Shades of Black
There are a number of ultra-black materials and pigments that lay claim to being the absolute blackest. Here are some of the leading contenders:
Vantablack – This material produced by Surrey NanoSystems holds the record for darkest known substance. It absorbs up to 99.965% of visible light by using vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays. This makes it appear to lose all dimensional details to the human eye. Strictly controlled for aerospace and defense applications.
Musou Black – A new type of paint by Koyo Orient Japan made from calcium carbonate, titanium oxide, and carbon that traps and suppresses light reflection. Reflects between 1.4% and 0.6% of light.
Black 3.0 – An acrylic paint by Stuart Semple that absorbs about 98% of visible light using high densities of carbon pigments. Available to the public unlike Vantablack.
Superblack – A nickel and phosphorous alloy that traps over 99.5% of incoming light, developed by MIT. Can reach temperatures of over 2,000°F without changing color.
Dragon Silk – The wings of the butterfly Troides magellanus have microscopic structures that reflect 0.65% of light, appearing intensely black.
Carbon Nanotubes – Made of seamlessly rolled graphene sheets, these tubes can absorb over 99.9% of incoming light. Also enable Vantablack’s deep blackness.
Measuring Blackness
The darkness or lightness of a color is typically measured using one of these scales:
CIE L*a*b* – The L* value on this international scale represents lightness from 0 (black) to 100 (white). Vantablack has an L* of about 0.2.
SRT – The Scott Research and Technology scale runs from 0-100+ with higher values meaning lighter color. Vantablack scores below 10 SRT units.
Diffuse Reflectance – Measures percentage of light reflected off a surface. The lower the percentage, the blacker the material or paint. Ideal blacks have reflectance approaching 0%.
So in summary, the most objective way to compare black shades is by looking at light reflection percentages or scores on standardized darkness/lightness scales.
Practical Applications
Beyond aesthetic uses, these ultra-black materials have some unique applications:
- Coatings on precision optical instruments to reduce stray reflections
- Absorbing stray light in satellites and telescopes
- Enhancing contrast for detectors and sensors
- Solar heating by absorbing radiation
- Camouflage and stealth military equipment
- Microscopic etching with lasers
Their extremely efficient light absorption properties allow enhanced functionality and performance.
Black in Art and Design
Artists have long been fascinated by the color black and its visual qualities:
- Used in many Renaissance portraits for dramatic chiaroscuro effects
- Featured prominently in Gothic and surrealist imagery
- Minimalist artists like Ad Reinhardt created all-black paintings
- Reduces details for bold silhouettes and outlines
- Conveys mystery, sophistication and luxury in fashion/decor
When used skillfully, black pigments and paints with enhanced darkness can create striking works of art, fashion and design.
Psychology of Black
The color black has distinct psychological associations:
- Authoritative, powerful, strong
- Sophisticated, elegant
- Mysterious, ominous, evil
- Pessimistic, depressing
- Formal and serious
Deeper shades of black augment these effects – the darker the black, the more intense the perceived attributes. A pitch black void can seem bottomless.
So while black carries meanings of doom and gloom, it also signifies prestige and luxury when used deliberately.
Black in Nature
In the natural world, the darkest blacks appear in:
- Raven, crow and owl feathers
- Black mamba snake skins
- Butterfly wings like the Black Forest Swallowtail
- Volcanic glasses and basalts
- Lignite and anthracite coals
- Onyx and obsidian stones
These ultra-blacks provide camouflage, heat absorption and other evolutionary benefits.
Black Hole Blackness
Outer space contains some of the purest blacks imaginable. The blackest natural black known is found in black holes, with intensity incomprehensible to humans.
Measuring the Darkest Blacks
To recap, the darkest known blacks in order are:
| Material/Color | Light Reflectance |
|---|---|
| Vantablack | 0.035% |
| Musou Black | 0.4-1.4% |
| Superblack | 0.5% |
| Black 3.0 | 2% |
| Dragon Silk Wings | 0.65% |
| Carbon Nanotubes | 0.1% |
With virtually no light reflection, Vantablack and similar artificial coatings are the darkest known blacks on Earth.
Conclusion
While shades like Vantablack seem to defy the visual world as we know it through extreme light absorption, even the blackest blacks are scientifically measurable. Materials scientists continue innovating ever darker coatings. But for now, carbon nanotube-based substances like Vantablack represent the absolute pinnacle of blackness. Their fungal black appearance results from advanced micro and nano-scale engineering that perfectly traps light. Beyond their surreal aesthetic properties, these ultra-black materials enable transformative innovations in technology and design.
