New colour pigment YInMn is the new blue

It is no strange coincidence that the dreamy sky in Vincent van Goghs The Starry Night uses cobalt blue The Starry Night was painted about 90 years after Louis Jacques Theacutenard a French chemist discovered this pigmentTheacutenard was asked by his government to improve colours for their artists trust the French to come up with something like this and cobalt blue was thus born We have seen versions of it in our cozy paintingkits through school but van Gogh took it more seriously He waxed eloquent in a letter to his brother Theo stating Cobalt blue is a divine colour and there is nothing so beautiful for putting atmosphere around thingsDr Mas Subramanian and his team discovered a new inorganic pigment named YInMn Blue PicOregon State UniversityIf only van Gogh knew about YInMn Blue In 2009 more than two centuries after cobalt blues discovery chemist Dr Mas Subramanian and his team discovered a new inorganic pigment Christened after its components mdash manganese yttrium and indium mdash YInMn pronounced yinmin Blue is lush and brilliant After six years of testing and approvals the pigment will now be made available commercially by The Shepherd Colour Company based in Ohio USA which has its roots in making colours for porcelain enamelsUnlike Theacutenard Subramanian and his team werent looking for new pigments The team based in the Oregon State University OSU USA stumbled upon it while researching materials for electrical conductivity YInMn Blue is in the league of serendipitous discoveries such as the little blue pill Viagra originally intended to relax blood vessels by Pfizer Vaseline which used to jam up drills in oil fields and TeflonMount Hood by Aquarelles de Mas Blue Rajeevi Subramanian Except white all pigments used are from the YInMn Blue familyAfter we mixed manganese oxide with other chemicals and heated them in a furnace of nearly 2000 degrees Fahrenheit we were shocked to see the results We expected to see a black or brown result as manganese oxide is black says Subramanian over a Skype chat His team member graduate student Andrew Smith had initially made the samples to study their electrical properties When the outcome turned out to be a resplendent blue I instantly realised we were looking at something new says Subramanian who is the Milton Harris Professor of Materials in the OSU Department of ChemistrySubramanian says that this stable inorganic pigment is safe unlike cobalt blue which could be carcinogenic or Prussian blue which can release cyanide under certain conditions But before we venture any further a little clarification on colours and pigments courtesy IITMadrasbred Subramanian Pigments are materials and colours are properties you can make several shades of blue from YInMn for instance Inorganic pigments such as Prussian blue and YInMn Blue cannot be used on fabrics Natural dyes like indigo can howeverAfter this quick primer Subramanian says that ever since The Shepherd Colour Company announced production he has been receiving emails by the dozen both from technologists and artists alike Turns out that blue is a hot favourite around the world Out of the USAs 50 states 41 desire blue It has nothing to do with being a Republican or a Democrat however he laughsAmong tech folk YInMn Blue which has been included in the Forbes Pigment Collection at the Harvard Art Museums is likely to be used for surface and roof coatings in the automobile industry It is a cool pigment and born under extremely high temperatures can stand the heat It is a little more expensive than cobalt blue but since we are looking for energysaving options YInMn Blue could be one Even if you mix a little with white it can enhance the cooling properties he says Imagine Greek villas in Santorini infused with a bit of YInMn Blue in themWith the tech side it is more about durability or usefulness Artists have a different psychology For them it is about what difference YInMn Blue can make to their works says Subramanian Art restorers are likely to make note of this new blue as it doesnt fade as easily as the lapis lazuli used in Michelangelos Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel or Istanbuls blue monumentsOver at the OSU students have been using YInMn Blue in their paintings and even made nail colour out of it And Subramanians spouse Rajeevi a chemist and artist has been painting a series using YInMn Blue In the meanwhile the impending popularity for YInMn is only set to grow We can only wonder if Anish Kapoor who has got the exclusive rights to use vantablack mdash the blackest black mdash has his eyes on this new pigment too