corrosive elements,” said Frank Sullivan,
RPM chairman and chief executive.
“Legend Brands will extend our reach a
step further to the restoration of prop-
erty when the elements do infiltrate a
structure. We will continue to seek ac-
quisitions, like Legend Brands, that are
in adjacent categories to our traditional
markets, but still fit strategically.”
Legend Brands is comprised of three
companies: Dri-Eaz Products, a
provider of tools for water damage
restoration and environmental control;
ProRestore Products, providing odor,
smoke and microbial control applica-
tions; and Sapphire Scientific, a
provider of advanced carpet cleaning
chemicals, tools and equipment.
Ecology Coatings nominated
for the U.S. Green Chemistry
Challenge
Ecology Coatings, Inc. has been nomi-
nated for the U.S. Green Chemistry Chal-
lenge 2012. The program is sponsored by
the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollu-
tion Prevention of the United States Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency (EPA) in
partnership with the American Chemical
Society Green Chemistry Institute. This
program recognizes chemical technologies
Pigment Discovery
OSU pigment discovery expanding into new colors –
including orange.
Chemists at Oregon State University have discovered that the same
crystal structure they identified two years ago to create what may be
the world’s best blue pigment can also be used with different elements
to create other colors, with significant potential in the paint and pigment industries.
First on the list is a brilliant orange pigment. But the broader potential for these pigments, researchers say, is the ability to tweak essentially the same chemical structure in slightly different ways to create
a whole range of new colors in pigments that may be safer to produce, more durable and more environmentally benign than many of
those that now exist.
Among the possibilities, they say, are colors yellow and green.
“The basic crystal structure we’re using for these pigments was
known before, but no one had ever considered using it for any commercial purpose, including pigments,” said Mas Subramanian, the
Milton Harris Professor of Materials Science in the OSU Department
of Chemistry.
“All of these colors should share the same characteristics of being
extremely stable, durable and resistant to heat and acid,” he said.
“And they are based on the same crystal structure, so minor adjust-
ments to the technology will produce very different colors and very
high quality pigments.”
OSU has already applied for a patent on this technology, samples
are now being tested by private industry, and the latest findings were
published recently in Inorganic Chemistry, a journal of the American
Chemical Society. The research has been supported by the National
Science Foundation.
This invention evolved from what was essentially an accidental discovery in 2009 in an OSU lab, where Subramanian was exploring some
manganese oxides for interesting electronic properties. At one stage of
the process, when a sample had been heated to almost 2,000 degrees
Fahrenheit, the compound turned a vivid blue.
It was found that this chemistry had interesting properties that af-
fects the absorption of light and consequently its color. So Subraman-
ian and his research team, including OSU professor emeritus Art
Sleight, quickly shifted their electronics research into what may be-
come a revolution in the paint and pigment industry. Future applica-
tions may range from inkjet printers to automobiles or even ordinary
house paint.
14 | Coatings World
www.coatingsworld.com
October 2011
