YInMn Blue, also known as Oregon Blue, Mas Blue, or Yin Min Blue, is an inorganicblue pigment that was discovered accidentally by Professor Mas Subramanian and his then-graduate student Andrew E. Smith at Oregon State University in 2009. It is the first inorganic blue pigment discovered in 200 years, since cobalt blue was identified in 1802. The compound has a unique trigonal bipyramidal structure, and further research has discovered it may be modified to create green, purple, and orange pigments.
Discovery
In 2008, Subramanian received a National Science Foundation grant to explore novel materials for electronics applications. Under this project, he was particularly interested in synthesizing multiferroics based on manganeseoxides. He directed Andrew E. Smith, a graduate student in his lab, to synthesize an oxide solid solution between and at. The resulting compound was not an effective multiferroic; instead, it was a vibrant blue material. Because of Subramanian's experience at DuPont, he recognized the compound's potential use as a blue pigment and filed a patent disclosure covering the invention. After publishing their results, Shepherd Color Company successfully contacted Subramanian for possible collaboration in commercialization efforts. The pigment is noteworthy for its vibrant, near-perfect blue color and unusually high NIR reflectance. The color may be adjusted by varying the In/Mn ratio in the pigment's base formula of, but the bluest pigment,, has a color comparable to standard cobalt blue pigments.
Properties and preparation
YInMn Blue is chemically stable, does not fade, and is non-toxic. It is more durable than alternative blue pigments such as ultramarine or Prussian blue, retaining its vibrant color in oil and water, and is safer than cobalt blue, which is a suspected carcinogen and may cause cobalt poisoning. Moreover, infrared radiation is strongly reflected by YInMn Blue, which makes this pigment suitable for energy-saving cool coatings. It can be prepared by heating the oxides of the elementsyttrium, indium, and manganese to a temperature of approximately.
After Subramanian and his colleagues published their results, companies began inquiring about commercial uses. Shepherd Color Company eventually won the license to commercialize the pigment in May 2015. In June 2016, an Australian company, Derivan, published experiments using YInMn within their artist range, and subsequently released the pigment for purchase. AMD announced in July 2016 that the pigment would be used on new Radeon Pro WX and Pro SSG professional GPUs for the energy efficiency that stems from its near-infrared reflecting property. The American art supplies company Crayola announced in May 2017 that it planned to replace its retired Dandelion color with a new color "inspired by" YInMn, but not containing any YInMn. Crayola held a contest for more pronounceable name ideas, and announced the new color name, "Bluetiful", on 14 September 2017. The new crayon color has been available since late 2017.
