Abstract
Quaternions are hyper-complex numbers applied in three-dimensional space, which are widely used in physics and image processing. In this paper, we utilize the features of quaternions for constructing a new substitution box (S-box) based on Lorenz system. The performance of the proposed S-box is investigated by S-box evaluation criterion. The results demonstrate that the constructed S-box has significant qualities for viable applications in security purposes. As well as, a new image watermarking mechanism is introduced which its embedding procedures based on the suggested S-box. Experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the presented image watermarking technique.