39th Annual Waterborne Symposium

The University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Polymers and High Performance Materials held its 39th Annual Waterborne Symposium February 15-17 at the Marriott in New Orleans, LA. The event attracted 263 attendees who had the opportunity to hear 50 speakers present talks on a diverse number of subjects including UV, pigments, additives, powder coatings, corrosion and high throughput developments. In addition there were 14 student posters and 25 exhibitors who participated in the Technology Showcase.

This year’s presentations were subdivided into eight different sessions: general, high throughput, powder coatings, additives, nano, UV, pigments and corrosion.

The opening session featured plenary speaker, Don Liles of Dow Corning Corp., who spoke on, “The Fascinating World of Silicones and their Impact on Coatings.”

“Silicones were commercialized in the 1940s in the United States and ever since their introduction silicones have expanded remarkably not only in terms of economic growth, but also by an amazingly diverse assortment of product types and applications,” said Liles.

Liles outlined the various types of silicones and their involvement in the coatings industry. “Although silicones are useful for eliminating or diminishing surface defects, they are also capable of producing surface defects,” he said. “An understanding of phenomena surrounding surface defects can aid the coatings formulator to avoid surface defects caused by silicones.”

There were three keynote speakers who presented on the subjects of powder coatings, nano and the aerospace coatings.

“The Next Revolution in Powder Coating Technology: Conquering Plastic Substrates,” was presented by Kevin Biller of The Powder Coating Research Group. The talk presented the latest developments in low temperature and radiation curable powder coating technology that have been developed for application to plastic and composite substrates. 

According to Biller, mounting environmental and efficiency pressures have motivated industrial engineers to seek alternatives to traditional metal fabrication techniques. He said that the transportation industry, in particular, has been replacing metal components with lighter products made with plastic.

“This sea change in substrate technology brings a crossroad to the powder coating industry,” said Biller. “Well-worn powder coating technology serving these industries is largely unsuitable for plastic substrates. The incorporation of these advanced materials in engineering have stimulated powder coating technologists to create innovations not seen since the 1980s.”

“Nanocrystal Inks for Spray-Deposited Photovoltaics” was presented by Brian Korgel of the University of Texas at Austin.

“We have been developing colloidal copper indium gallium selenide and copper zinc tin sulfide nanocrystal dispersions, or inks, as precursor materials to fabricate with low cost photovoltaic solar cell devices,” said Korgel.

He presented on the properties of the nanocrystal films and their relationship to the observed device efficiency, as well as how to improve the efficiencies of the nanocrystal-based devices.

“Evolution in Aerospace Coating Technologies” was presented by Pat Kinlen of The Boeing Company.

“Changing environmental regulations, market needs and materials of construction continuously drive the evolution of aerospace coatings and application processes,” said Kinlen. “Boeing actively pursues a continuous improvement strategy for its products to meet these changing demands. This strategy is based on extensive internal R&D programs as well as significant collaborations with suppliers, universities, as well as small and large businesses.”

The presentation reviewed the challenges involved in developing new, more environmentally friendly coatings and will focus on current approaches to eliminate hexavalent chromium in future coating systems and processes.

Sidney Lauren Memorial Lecture

A new addition to this year’s event was the introduction of The First Annual Sidney Lauren Memorial Lecture. Sidney Lauren’s son, David, introduced the lecture and gave an overview of his father’s contributions to the coatings industry and his commitment to education.

“When my sister Barbara and I learned that the University of Southern Mississippi was naming both a learning center after my father and a memorial lecture at the annual Waterborne Conference, I think it’s fair to say we both immediately recognized the great appropriateness of these two honors,” he said. “My father was dedicated to both the paint and coatings industry, and to the education of future members of the industry.”

Lauren concluded his tribute with a quote from his father: “I believe that if my education and research I have done to compose the hundreds of lectures I have delivered to academic and industrial audiences have enabled me to see further, and contribute to their own ability to teach, it is because ‘I have stood on the shoulders of giants.’”

The inaugural Sidney Lauren Memorial Lecture, “CIEF: Industry’s Vital Link to Dedicated University Coatings Science, Programs and Graduates,” was presented by George Schmitz of Geochem Solutions.

“The Coatings Industry Education Foundation (CIEF) is the coatings industry’s foremost non-profit coatings technologies educational platform,” said Schmitz. “For over 25 years, CIEF has fostered the evolution of a nationwide network of top-flight university undergraduate polymers and coatings programs, where highly motivated students receive CIEF scholarships to pursue degrees in the field, perform cutting-edge research and prepare to enter the industry.”

While this year’s lecture focused on the work of the CIEF, moving forward the Sidney Lauren Memorial Lecture will be technical in nature.

The Waterborne Symposium concluded with an awards ceremony for best student poster and best paper awards. Best Student Paper Award was presented to Joshua Hanna for his paper, “Tracking Steel Corrosion in Halide Solutions with a pH Stimuli Responsive Polymer.”

The Shelby F. Thames Best Paper Award was presented to Jens Voepel of Ytkemiska Institute, YKI – Institute for Surface Chemistry for “Making Cleaner Surfaces.” (Turn to page 70 to read the award-winning paper in its entirety.)

The Student Poster Awards were presented by John Maddox of Eastman Chemical Company. First place went to Austin D. Baranek for “Synthesis and Characterization of Cross-linked, Quaternary Ammonium Polybenzoxazines for Anion Exchange Membranes”; second place went to Brooks Abel for “RAFT-ROMP Molecular Brushes for siRNA Delivery”; and third place was awarded to Emily A. Hoff for “Photolabile Caged Thiols: Towards One-Pot Postmodification of Well-Defined Functional Polymers via Thiol-Click Chemistry.”


2013 CALL FOR PAPERS

The School of Polymers and High Performance Materials at The University of Southern Mississippi has issued a call for papers for presentation at the 40th Annual International Waterborne Symposium, February 4-8, 2013 in New Orleans. Papers should relate to new and emerging technologies related to materials, processes, production, characterization, application and markets in the field of surface coatings. All papers should be original and represent recent advances in coatings science and related disciplines. Title, abstract and author’s names (speaker’s name underlined) should be submitted by mail, fax or e-mail no later than Aug. 15 to School of Polymers and High Performance Materials, The University of Southern Mississippi, Box 10063, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0063; 601-266-4475; Fax: 601- 266-6265; E-mail: waterborne@usm.edu; Web: www.psrc.usm.edu/waterborne.