The winning paper, entitled Infrared Imaging: A Complementary Tool to AFM for Adhesive Surface Analysis, was co-authored by Herbert Hand, Adhesives Research, Inc.; David Schaefer and Joshua Robinson, Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geoscience, Towson University; and Andinet Amare, Bio-Rad, Inc. The paper describes the results of a study that combined atomic-force microscopy (AFM) and Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR) imaging to see if information from these two powerful analytical tools would complement surface analysis of adhesive systems, and provides insight into the relationship of adhesive structure and property.
Gabriele has over 25 years of experience in the adhesives and coatings industries. Currently, he is the technology manager for the Splicing Business Unit at Adhesives Research. Gabriele holds several patents, has written numerous technical articles and is a past recipient of the Roon Foundation Award, presented for outstanding contributions in the scientific advancement of additives technology.
This year, a panel of industry experts evaluated 24 papers presented during TECH XXIV based on the criteria of topic choice, writing style, presentation, research and supporting documentation to determine the most technically outstanding paper. This record number of technical papers included presentations from eight different countries, with more than 18 countries represented overall at the global conference.