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.