Chemists from the Shanghai division of Nippon Paint have created an automotive coating that absorbs more than 99.9% of visible light. By this metric the new formulation turned out to be darker than almost all paints suitable for mass production of cars. Moreover the material has already undergone initial water‑resistance tests and retained its properties. 


Interest in ultra‑black coatings surged after BMW
introduced the X6 concept painted with Vantablack in 2019. Thanks to
an array of vertically oriented carbon nanotubes the body appeared
almost two‑dimensional: the human eye stopped perceiving volume and curvature
of the surface. However, the technology proved too expensive, complex
and fragile for mass adoption.


Nippon Paint offers a more practical approach - in the basis of their formula contains nano‑sized soot particles and carbon nanotubes, which, when mixed with deionized water, a dispersant and a deforming agent, create a surface with microscopic peaks and valleys. It is this uneven structure that causes light to reflect multiple times within the depressions, without exiting. Developers claim that the coating absorbs more than 99.90% of light, making it practically perfectly black.


The development is primarily aimed at the Chinese automotive market, where
the appearance of the body is increasingly becoming one of the key factors in choosing
a car. Deep black color is traditionally associated with the premium segment, sports models and large SUVs.