Mattiello Memorial Lecture

Gordon P. Bierwagen to deliver Mattiello Memorial Lecture

By David Savastano • Senior Editor

One of the most important highlights of the Federation of Societies of Coatings Technology’s (FSCT) Annual Meeting is the Joseph J. Mattiello Memorial Lecture. The lecturer, chosen from among individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the science and/or technology of coatings, is invited to deliver a paper on a phase of chemistry or other physical science, engineering, human relationships or other sciences fundamental to paint and coatings, varnish, lacquer, or otherwise related to protective or decorative coatings.

This year’s honoree, Gordon P. Bierwagen, professor, Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials at North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, is an ideal selection to present the 2007 Mattiello Lecture.

“I’ve known Gordon for nearly 30 years, and he has distinguished himself in industry and academia,” said Lou Floyd, president of FLF Consulting and chair of the Mattiello Committee. “His contributions in the field of corrosion, particularly the use of magnesium for protection of aluminum alloys, has been groundbreaking work.”

“Being selected to be the Mattiello Lecturer is a real honor,” Prof. Bierwagen said. “I’ve known a lot of the past winners, and it’s pretty select company.”

Prof. Bierwagen’s presentation, “The Physical Chemistry of Organic Coatings Revisited: Viewing Coatings as a Materials Scientist,” will be the focal point of the first Mattiello Symposium, to be held during the organization’s FutureCoat! conference.

“I’m using the theme of material science and physical chemistry,” Prof. Bierwagen noted. “It’s a way of not only looking at new technologies, but also an examination of the work my research teams and I have done.”

Joining the industry

Dr. Bierwagen’s educational background is stellar. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and mathematics from Valparaiso University in 1964, a Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry from Iowa State University in 1968, and did post-doctoral research in chemical engineering at the University of Minnesota from 1968 to 1969. He has been involved in R&D in coatings since his first non-academic work at Battelle Memorial Institute (Columbus) in 1969.

In 1970, Prof. Bierwagen joined Sherwin-Williams Research Center in Chicago. He worked there for 16 years, holding positions as senior scientist, group leader, staff scientist and laboratory director. From 1986–1989, he was the director of R&D for the Decorative Films Division of Avery, Inc. in Schererville, IN.

In December 1989, Prof. Bierwagen returned to academia, joining the Department of Polymers & Coatings (P&C) at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND, as professor.

“My original career path was academic, and when the opportunity came to go back to academia, I took it,” Prof. Bierwagen said. “NDSU has a strong program in coatings, with an emphasis on industrial experience.”

Since that time, he has trained 13 Ph.D. candidates and seven master’s degree students. Prof. Bierwagen was chair of the Polymers and Coatings Department from 1999–2006. In 2005, the department was renamed the Coatings and Polymeric Materials Department.

“We have the only Ph.D. program focused on coatings,” Prof. Bierwagen said. “I knew I could do research and attract graduate students.”

Areas of research

Prof. Bierwagen’s research at Sherwin-Williams was on the physical chemistry of coatings, especially on particle effects in films. This work led him to publish extensively on the prediction and measurement of the Critical Pigment Volume Concentration (CPVC) in coatings. He also acted as a Sherwin-Williams Company consultant on problems in surfaces chemistry, especially defect control in paint application.

Prof. Bierwagen’s initial research activities at NDSU focused on developing new methods to measure the degree of dispersion of pigments, foam stability, and particle packing in films. Since 1992, with Prof. D. Tallman of the NDSU Department of Chemistry, he has also developed an extensive research program on corrosion control by coatings that has been very successful in attracting government and industry support. He and Prof. Tallman have authored 60 articles together on corrosion and coatings, with support first from the Office of Naval Research and, more recently, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

“I consider myself lucky to have fallen into a good niche and good partnerships, including my work with Prof. Tallman, and have worked with excellent research teams,” Prof. Bierwagen noted.

Prof. Bierwagen has also become involved in research on the protection of outdoor bronze statues and the development of conservation coatings for such statues and has worked with the National Gallery of Art and the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training in this area of study.

Prof. Bierwagen has recently been the leader in the invention of a new method of protecting aluminum alloys against corrosion without the use of chromate pigments or pretreatments. This innovative method uses Mg pigments in coatings in a manner analogous to Zn particles in zinc rich paints. He and his co-workers recently introduced the use of ionic liquids in studying the electrochemistry of coatings, enabling the characterization of water transport out of coatings.

While at NDSU, Prof. Bierwagen has developed interactions with many research groups in coatings science around the world. He has worked with the German Paint Research Institute (FPL) (Prof. Funke and his successors), the Materials Engineering group at the University of Trento in Italy (Prof. Bonora), the Corrosion Group at the Instituto Superior Técnico/DEQ I Lisbon Portugal (Prof. Simoes), and the Coatings Research Institute of Belgium (CoRI) (Dr. Marcel Piens).

“Our new technology for preventing corrosion on aluminum alloys spun out of our basic research, and it is pretty exciting,” Prof. Bierwagen said. “We are also doing research on room temperature ionic clouds, which can help coatings testing. Prof. Simoes ran with that project.”

Career awards and honors

Prof. Bierwagen is no stranger to prestigious honors. He received first place in the 1972 FSCT Roon Award Competition, and in 2003, he and his student, Michael Nanna, were awarded a first place Roon Award. Prof. Bierwagen was chosen as Researcher of the Year at NDSU College of Science and Mathematics in 2005-2006.

An invited speaker at Gordon Research Conferences on Coatings and a session chair at the Gordon Conference on Aqueous Corrosion, Prof. Bierwagen was vice chair in 1988 and chairman of the 1989 Gordon Research Conference on the Physics and Chemistry of Coatings and Films.

He was an invited speaker at the 70th anniversary meeting of the Japanese Society for Colour Materials in 1997; an invited plenary lecturer at the FATIPEC 2000 Congress in Turin, Italy; and the invited keynote speaker at EIS 2001 in Marilleva-Trento, Italy.

In June 2006, he was an invited plenary lecturer at EMCR (Electrochemical Methods for Corrosion Research) in Dourdan, France, and was an invited keynote speaker at the Coating Science International Conference COSI 2006 in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

In May 2007, Prof. Bierwagen spoke at the Nürnberg Coating Congress, and, later that same month, presented at the International Corrosion Engineering Conference in Seoul, Korea.

He has published extensively on coatings science and corrosion control with more than 105 publications, and has given many technical presentations before professional organizations.

Prof. Bierwagen’s professional activities include his work on publications. He has served since January 1995 as editor-in-chief of Progress in Organic Coatings. He was North American regional editor of that publication from 1987–1995 and an Editorial Board member from 1984–1987. Prof. Bierwagen also served on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Coatings Technology from 1982–1987.

His professional affiliations include membership in the FSCT and the Northwestern Society since 1970, as well as membership with the American Chemical Society, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, The Electrochemical Society, National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE), the Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the Materials Research Society.