The physical chemistry of organic coatings revisited—viewing coatings as a materials scientist

Abstract

Modern organic coatings are complex materials which must be observed and interpreted from the viewpoint of what has become known as Materials Science. Paints, as most of us first learned to name organic coatings, were originally designed and conceived as art forms. Visual artists developed their own applied colorants; part of an artist's success depended on these skills (consider Leonardo da Vinci). Today, one's skills as a materials scientist are perhaps the most crucial attributes of the true coatings scientist. Considering pigmented organic coating as random heterogeneous composite materials was the key to my research group's contributions in improving the understanding of pigment volume concentrations (PVC) and critical PVC effects in coatings. Seeking to develop and improve electrochemical materials characterization techniques for measuring and predicting the corrosion protective properties of coatings has driven our research at North Dakota State University (NDSU) in this area. Analyzing the performance of protective coatings for exterior bronze statues and viewing these coatings from the materials requirements of the art conservator has directed our activities in conservation science. The use of the methods of modern electrochemical materials science has been the key to our development of Mg-rich primers for entirely Cr-free corrosion protection of aircraft alloys. Our work on developing methods to perform material measurements directly on coatings during their field use has directed our recent studies of embedded sensors in coatings. Our work in these areas will be reviewed and current results presented. Forecasts of future developments in these and other areas of coatings science will be presented, extrapolating from present developments in materials science. Incorporating materials concerns, especially the methods and concepts of nanomaterials science, into coatings science will be of paramount importance to future research and development in coatings.

Conductive Polymer for Elevated Temperature Applications Based on Sodium Sulfosuccinate Coupled Poly(ethylene glycol)s

“…Because the conductivity of the polymer is high, variations of the transition resistance between the electrodes and the polymer get a stronger influence on the measured current. The conductivity of S–PEG150–SS is sufficient for many kinds of applications such as antistatic coatings7, 25 or flock coatings 26. Similar to the viscosity, the conductivity is decreased as the molar mass of PEG chains in S–PEG x –SS increases.…”

“…Conductive polymers have attracted significant attention for various industrial applications such as for plating technology,1 sensors and lab‐on‐chip technology,2 battery development,3, 4 fuel cells,5, 6 as well as for antistatic and anticorrosive coatings 7. A common approach to obtain electrical conductive polymers is the incorporation of dispersible conductive additives into the polymer network 8.…”

Influence of mitosporic fungi upon zinc-polymeric coatings on steel under the different environment

“…Under such conditions growing mitosporic fungi are detected on metals, and the variety of them determines the corrosion behaviour (Yang et al 1996). To protect metals from damage caused by microorganisms, polymeric films have been investigated (Bierwagen 2008;Binkauskienė et al 2009). Recently much attention has been devoted to studies of zinc-polymeric coatings, which are widely used in automotive industry and to protect railway transport, large-block buildings, bridges and other objects made of steel to protect them from corrosion and mechanical damages (Kikuchi, Streekumari 2002;Marchebois et al 2002;Tü ken 2006).…”

Magnesium-Based Sacrificial Anode Cathodic Protection Coatings (Mg-Rich Primers) for Aluminum Alloys

“…Bierwagen concluded that the total system performance of the Mg-rich primer + topcoat was a synergistic blend of the cathodic/sacrificial protection of the primer, the inhibition/thin barrier layer effects of the MgO/Mg(OH) 2 formed as oxidation products of the Mg, the barrier properties of the polymer in the Mg-rich primer, plus the barrier properties of the topcoat [56]. Indeed, panels coated with Mg-rich primers have performed very well on outdoor exposure at various sites across the US.…”