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Mn³⁺ in Trigonal Bipyramidal Coordination:

A New Blue Chromophore

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Andrew E. Smith¹, Hiroshi Mizoguchi¹, Kris Delaney², Nicola A. Spaldin²,

Arthur W. Sleight¹, and M. A. Subramanian^1*

¹Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-4003, USA

² Materials Department University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA

Text Box: We have discovered that a surprisingly intense and bright blue color is obtained when Mn3+ is introduced into trigonal pipyramidal sites of oxides. Such sites exist in hexagonal YInO3, and substitution of Mn for In gives a blue color over much of the YIn1-xMnxO3 solid solution range, despite the fact that YInO3 and YMnO3 are white and black, respectively. We find the same blue color when Mn3+ is introduced into trigonal bipyramidal sites of other oxides, such as ScGaZnO4. This color arises from a d-d transition and is surprisingly intense due to a very short Mn-O bond. Finding durable blue pigments has been an elusive goal for centuries, and our discovery offers a potential new route to such pigments.

M

Subramanian Research Group

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