New anorganic blue pigment soon to be offered on the market
The only blue to be discovered in the last 200 hundred years will soon be introduced to the market. Back in 2009, Mas Subramanian and his team at the Oregon State University discovered YInMn-Blue by accident while experimenting with new materials that could be used in electronics applications.
The scientists mixed black manganese oxide with different chemicals before heating them to more than 1000 °C. One of the results was a vibrant blue. As a reference to the elements yttrium, indium and manganese the new pigment was named YInMn-Blue. For commercial use, recently, a license agreement was made with American pigment manufacturer Shepard Color Company, first amounts of the pigment are expected to be released by the end of this year.
Good properties
The new pigment is reported to have a low toxicity and good resistance in oil and water without fading. Additionally, due to its crystalline structure it is expected to help keep buildings cool by reflecting infrared light. On another note, the new blue pigment will also be made into a crayon.
Business Insider has released a video on the new pigment.
Would you like to know more about pigments and their apllication? In the book “Pigment Processing” Juan M. Oyarzún gives a practice-related exposition of the fundamental principles of pigment processing.
