Dr. James O. Stoffer, Curators' Distinguished Professor Emeritus of chemistry and former director of the Graduate Center for Materials Research, will present the 10th Stoffer Lecture. 

Abstract: In 1992, he started working with Dr. O’Keefe on research to find a replacement for chromium as the corrosion inhibitor for aluminum. Hexavalent Chromium is toxic and must be removed from the workplace and in/on products of commerce. Presently, Aluminum used on aircraft must have a chrome conversion coating which will survive 336 hours in a salt fog test and when a coating is applied over it and scribed down to bare metal, provide 2000 hours corrosion protection in salt fog tests. Our cerium conversion coatings do pass both of these “mil specs” tests. A patent has just been granted for this process. This has had a major impact on the aircraft industry since the Federal Government spends over a billion dollars each year just painting and repainting aircraft, mostly related to corrosion protection. We have developed a nonchrom primer that essentially removed most of the chrom from aircraft coatings. This technology also has been patented by the University and licensed to Deft Inc. It is now being used by the military for almost all aircraft. Context is not fixed. 

About the speaker: Dr. Stoffer's research activities started in organic chemistry and now are centered in the area of Polymers and Coatings Science. For many years, he has taught in the short course program where over 200 people per year come to UMR from industry for training and updating in the area of paints and coatings. UMR is recognized as the leader in coatings short courses for the paint industry. In 1979, he authored the first papers on microemulsion polymerization processes and one of the first papers on polymerization of liquid crystals. These papers on microemulsion polymerization have become some of the most widely cited papers in this area of work. These papers essentially established this area of science. The microemulsion work is also the basis for the water reducible coatings that are now being used as a way to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOC's) which is of environmental concern today. In 1986, Dr. Stoffer introduced ultrasonic dispersion of pigments for paints and in 1991 he introduced ultrasonically initiated free radical catalyzed polymerizations. The work on the ultrasonic dispersion of pigments is now being extended to inks. In conjunction with the dispersion work, we have also discovered a new type of polymerization process. It is ultrasonically initiated free radical catalyzed polymerizations. We have prepared PMMA, polyacrylamide, polystyrene co maleic anhydride as pure polymers and in a solution process. Recently we have completed the work on the emulsion process as well. A patent has been issued for that work. The technology is applicable to the coatings industry. Dr. Stoffer has been active in the Rolla area, serving on the Rolla Public works board for 32 years, and 10 years as its president. During this time we have modernized the entire utility system. He has also been active in his local church, starting Kid-kare of Rolla, an after-school program with some 30 to 40 kids who were failing in classes, being helped with math and reading, finally being able to pass their classes at school