A brilliant new blue pigment that was discovered in a “happy accident” by an Oregon State University chemist recently has gained nationwide attention, and the color is expected to be available for commercial purchase at some point.
The pigment was discovered while OSU chemist Mas Subramanian and his team were experimenting with new materials for use in electronics applications, OSU reported in a news release from last year.
As part of the experiment, they mixed manganese oxide with other chemicals and put them in a furnace that reached nearly 2,000 degrees in temperature.
The result: a “near-perfect” blue pigment that will not fade, even in oil and water.
“The new pigment is formed by a unique crystal structure that allows the manganese ions to absorb red and green wavelengths of light, while only reflecting blue,” the release explained.
Those characteristics make the vivid shade ideal for use in a variety of commercial products, including coatings and plastics, and may be a “new candidate for energy efficiency,” Subramanian said. It has already been used in some art.
The OSU professor called the finding “serendipity, actually; a happy, accidental discovery.”
What’s more, the pigment’s ingredients are not toxic, according to Subramanian, noting that the finding essentially solves a quest that began thousands of years ago.
“The basic crystal structure we’re using for these pigments was known before, but no one had ever considered using it for any commercial purpose, including pigments,” he said in the release. “Ever since the early Egyptians developed some of the first blue pigments, the pigment industry has been struggling to address problems with safety, toxicity and durability.”
The pigment, known as “YinMn” blue, has been exclusively licensed by the university to The Shepherd Color Company.
The color was set to be produced in April 2016, but the company was still completing required paperwork with the EPA, according to its Facebook page. An anticipated date for when it would be available for purchase was not provided.
Subramanian and his team actually discovered the pigment back in 2009 at the university, which is located in Corvallis, Oregon. However, it wasn’t until years later that a formal announcement of its finding was made.