Global recognition isn’t new to Chennai, as namma people have made headlines time and again. The latest to join the list of achievers from Chennai is Dr Mas Subramanian , who has created the world’s newest shade of blue, called YInMn Blue. This vibrant shade is creating quite a buzz among artists ever since it has been licensed for commercial use. We caught up with Subramanian who is currently a chemist at the Oregon State University. He spoke to us about the YInMn Blue, his Tamil roots and more. Excerpts…

Tell us about the discovery of YInMn blue…
It was a serendipitous discovery because we were clearly not looking to create a new pigment. All this happened in 2009 when my team and I were researching on finding new materials for electronic applications. As part of the research, one of my students was doing studies on the magnetic properties of some compounds. And that’s when I noticed the formation of stunningly blue powder while doing experiments. During further tests, we realised that its compounds have properties to keep the colour from fading at all, even when exposed to high temperatures and other conditions. We named it YInMn blue as it is a combination of the names of the elements that make it up — Yttrium, Indium, and Manganese. It needs to be noted that the last commercially viable blue pigment Cobalt Blue was developed in France in 1802, more than two centuries ago.

Why did it take this long for the pigment to be commercialised?
The firm which has obtained the license to commercialise YInMn blue is called Shepherd Color Company. It took couple of years for them to do further tests to confirm that it is durable before commercialising it.

During a time when new colours are created using computer and technology, how do you known that YInMn blue is not a colour which has already been there without anyone actually identifying it?
Colours can be generated by computers, but not colour pigments. Colour pigments are made in laboratories and factories. You can’t make it on a computer and use it to paint buildings.

What are your other areas of interest?

Although I did not learn music formally, I do like Carnatic music. Otherwise, my areas of interests are mostly scientific stuff — designing new materials for electronics, environment and energy conversion.

Have you heard about MS Blue?

I know that MS Blue is named after late Carnatic vocalist MS Subbulakshmi, for, she used to wear saris in that particular colour. I am quite familiar with her music also. My grandmother, too, was a Carnatic vocalist and I remember attending one of the concerts of MS Subbulakshmi in Chennai, while I was young. I still listen to her Sri Venkateswara Suprabhatam recording regularly.

Tell us more about your Tamil roots…

I do visit south India often. I was born at Vallioor in Tirunelveli district, but grew up in Chennai. I went to Ramakrishna Boys High School. I did B.Sc at AM Jain College and MS at the University of Madras. Later, I completed my Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, before I moved to Texas for post-doctoral research in 1984. I am a vegetarian and still follow Tamil customs at home.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Chennai / Ashish Ittyerah Joseph / TNN & Agencies / August 06th, 2016