Coatings update: scientific studies

The coatings industry is based on a large number of scientific principles. To be sure, it developed both in ancient and modern times without regard to these. But once an empirical body of knowledge was built up, it became obvious that theoretical underpinnings were not only desirable but necessary if progress were to be made. What are some of the scientific principles which govern coatings technology? Film formation is certainly one. What causes a film to form, and what affects the properties of a film such as cohesion, adhesion, gloss, flexibility, permeability, impact resistance, and a dozen other characteristics? The problem of understanding film formation became all the more important with the advent of waterborne paints, for polymer particles suspended in water are not nearly as prone to form films as are polymer solutes in a solvent.