MIT’s Ultra-Black Material Redefines Darkness and Perception

MIT ultra-black material - In a striking fusion of science and art, MIT engineers have created a material so dark it absorbs 99.995% of light—making it 10 times blacker than any substance previously known. This groundbreaking discovery takes form not just as a scientific marvel but as a conceptual artwork titled The Redemption of Vanity.

The piece is a collaboration between artist Diemut Strebe, artist-in-residence at the MIT Center for Art, Science and Technology, and Professor Brian Wardle from the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

At the heart of the exhibition lies a 16.78-carat natural yellow diamond, valued at $2 million and supplied by LJ West Diamonds. Once coated in the ultra-black material, the gem—known for its brilliance and refraction—appears completely flat, transformed into a void of absolute blackness.

The engineers achieved this effect by growing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) — microscopic filaments of carbon — on a surface of chlorine-etched aluminum foil. The result is a material that captures virtually all incoming light, erasing reflection and depth to create an experience closer to pure absence than color.

While initially born from experiments to enhance thermal and electrical conductivity, the project evolved into a meditation on perception, value, and the limits of visibility. By turning one of the world’s most reflective materials into the darkest known substance, The Redemption of Vanity challenges how we define luxury, materiality, and light itself.

Written by Otávio Santiago, a visual designer whose work blends clarity, rhythm, and storytelling. Between Berlin and Lisbon, he creates across print, motion, branding, and immersive 3D environments.