Rationally creating an intense colorant has been a challenge for centuries. Serendipity often played a role in the discovery of important pigments and dyes. In particular, inorganic pigments are promising because of their durability under different conditions. However, in spite of recent advancements in quantum mechanical theories and computational methods, predicting a crystal lattice that will produce an intense inorganic pigment of a desired colour is still elusive.
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Acknowledgements
Work done at Oregon State University is supported by National Science Foundation grant DMR-2025615.
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M.A.S. is an inventor on a patent (US 8,282,728) issued to Oregon State University. This patent discloses the YInMn blue compositions and their utility in pigment applications and has been licensed by Shepherd Color Company (Ohio, USA) through Oregon State University for commercialization. J.L. declares no competing interests.
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Subramanian, M.A., Li, J. Challenges in the rational design of intense inorganic pigments with desired colours. Nat Rev Mater 8, 71–73 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-022-00486-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-022-00486-1
