Spun-out of the University of Surrey in 2006, Surrey NanoSystems’ initial goal was the development of commercial systems for producing nanomaterials at low temperatures to support specific semiconductor applications (the replacement of copper interconnects and more advanced dielectric materials for inter-layer insulation).

A partnership with NPL and ABSL Space Products to develop super-black coatings to enhance the performance of sensitive electro-optical imaging systems resulted in the creation of Vantablack® a super-black coating that holds the world record as the darkest man-made substance. It was originally developed for satellite-borne blackbody calibration systems, but its unique physical and optical properties have resulted in it finding widespread application.

Vantablack absorbs virtually all incident light, making it ideally suited to addressing a host of light-suppression and light-management problems. It reflects so little light that it is often described as the closest thing to a black hole we’ll ever see.