According to a research published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, scientists have created a white paint that is whitest of all and reflects 95.5 per cent of sunlight and all light. (White paints usually reflect 90 per cent of light.) The bright-white pain is created by the team of Xiulin Ruan, professor at at Purdue University. The paint is made of calcium carbonate fillers instead of standard titanium dioxide particles. Calcium carbonate is abundantly available in environment and is easy and cheap to procure, which makes the paint affordable and commercially viable. Application of this paint on rooftops and buildings also helps in cooling the houses. It also keeps the machinery cooler. Reflecting the sunlight back into the space helps in reducing the heat in the environment as well, and potentially combat global warming.
Scientists and artists have always been in a bid to create newer and better colours. Artist and sculptor Anish Kapoor has been famous (or rather infamous) for engaging in colour fueds. Artist Stuart Semple, who had claimed to create the world’s pinkest pink, had barred Kapoor from using the paint. Semple added a disclaimer on his online purchase site: “By adding this product to your cart you confirm that you are not Anish Kapoor, you are in no way affiliated to Anish Kapoor, you are not purchasing this item on behalf of Anish Kapoor or an associate of Anish Kapoor. To the best of your knowledge, information and belief this paint will not make its way into that hands of Anish Kapoor.”
Kapoor responded to this ban on social media with a pink middle finger. Of course the pink he used was Semple’s shade. Semple has also launched a beta version of his Whitest White—a colour which should reflect 99.6 per cent light. Earlier, Kapoor laid claim to have created the blackest paint ever. Semple challenged this claim by creating a shade blacker than Kapoor’s blackest black.
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