Amazing new color. Blue like blue should be! "scientist discovered this stunning new shade of blue" https://t.co/lwSNtCOesL via @techinsider
— P.R.C. de Lepper. (@16Klepper) June 27, 2016
It turns out that we haven’t had the privilege of using every shade of blue in the world. Scientists discovered a new blue pigment in 2009, and have just reached a licensing agreement that allows the color to be used commercially. Not since the discovery of penicillin, has an accident in science yielded something so important! (Just kidding.) (Not really. What has penicillin done for anyone that newly-discovered colors haven’t?)
As the picture above shows, this new pigment is a bright, bright royal-ish blue. In fact, it may just be my tired eyes that have been staring at a computer screen for almost 12 hours, but the new pigment is almost blindingly bright. This is how the accidental discovery occurred, according to an Oregon State University press release:
OSU chemist Mas Subramanian and his team were experimenting with new materials that could be used in electronics applications and they mixed manganese oxide – which is black in color – with other chemicals and heated them in a furnace to nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. One of their samples turned out to be a vivid blue. Oregon State graduate student Andrew Smith initially made these samples to study their electrical properties.
And thus, a new blue color—YInMn—was born. The best part is that this new color is made entirely of non-toxic materials, and that it can be used commercially in building paints. YlnMn reflects infrared light and can therefore keep a dwelling cool in a sustainable way.
Also: Look at it! It’s gorgeous!
(via Oregon State University, h/t Elite Daily)
