EDITORIAL

Editorial

Brian Gleeson

Published online: 23 January 2009

� Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009

This issue of Oxidation of Metals marks an important transition. It is the point at

which David L. Douglass is ending his long and highly commendable tenure as

Editor. Oxidation of Metals was the brainchild of Dave Douglass and the journal

grew steadily under his leadership. Past and present researchers in the area gas–solid

reactions owe a great deal of thanks to Dave Douglass, for it is because of him that

we have a dedicated periodical for the dissemination of seminal work in this area. In

his Editorial for the inaugural issue (Vol. 1, No. 1 1969) almost 40 years ago to the

month, Dave outlined his vision for Oxidation of Metals, the essence of which is

presented in the following excerpt:

‘‘As the medium for the publication of high-quality work on all aspects of gas–

solid reactions, this journal will span the entire gamut—from adsorption, on

the one hand, to diffusional processes in alloys related to oxidation, on the

other. Original research papers on a myriad of subjects pertaining to oxidation

will be welcomed. (And, incidentally, by oxidation we mean any gas–solid

reaction that increases the valence of the metal, be it reaction with oxygen,

nitrogen, sulfur, chlorine, etc. After all, the classic work on ionic-conducting

scales by Wagner was performed on silver-halogen systems.)

Short technical notes and review papers will be published. However, papers of

an engineering nature will be accepted only if an attempt is made to

understand the observed phenomena. ‘‘Data’’ papers will not be published.’’

We see no reason to stray from this vision, as it opens the journal to all relevant

aspects of gas-solid reactions, while also being clear that scientific understanding,

not simply data reporting, is the primary goal. The journal will also continue to

serve as a unique forum for discussions in which disagreements and rebuttals on key

observations or conclusions may be published concurrently.

B. Gleeson (&)

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

e-mail: bmg36@pitt.edu

123

Oxid Met (2009) 71:1–3

DOI 10.1007/s11085-009-9137-2

To acknowledge Dave Douglass’ commendable 40-year stewardship of Oxida-tion of Metals, he will be designated henceforth as the Founding Editor. A befitting

title indeed! The day-to-day responsibilities of the Editor will now be handled by

me, while the Associate Editor’s duties will be shared by Joe Quadakkers and Peggy

Hou. The first step in the transition has been to administer all manuscript

submissions and reviews electronically via Editorial Manager. The ‘‘Submit online’’

link can be found on the journal home page at http://www.springer.com/materials/

special?types/journal/11085. Online submission and review is fully operational and

has resulted in a marked decrease in the time from manuscript submission to

publication.

Oxidation of Metals is needed as much now as it was when it was first published.

Advances in the high-temperature stability of materials are critically needed to

realize the full performance and energy potential of many current and future

commercial systems. These advances must lead to significantly enhanced capabil-

ities that will allow high-temperature components to operate robustly for prolonged

periods in harsh environments, such as those involving aggressive gases, deposits,

photon or radiation fluxes, stresses, high or low pressures, or some combination of

these conditions. For example, oil refining, coal gasification, fossil-fuel conversion,

and gas-cooled nuclear reactor systems typically produce complex, multi-oxidant

gaseous environments that can be highly aggressive from the standpoint of surface

degrading structural components. The resulting multi-oxidant process environments

are often non-equilibrium and can involve both gaseous and deposit-induced

attack. In the case of metallic alloys and coatings, it is often the formation and

maintenance of a thermally grown oxide scale that is required for surface protection.

Alternatively, a stable and durable environmental barrier coating is needed;

however, even then it is desirable to have an underlying surface that is capable of

forming a reasonably protective scale.

Fundamentally, the high temperature stability of a material in an aggressive

environment relates to reactions and transport at and across its external surfaces.

These reactions are defined in terms of some combination of chemical potential,

temperature, and pressure and can be highly complex. Different processes, many of

them coupled, are involved from the onset of reaction, i.e., the absorption and

dissociation of gaseous molecules at the surface, to the steady-state growth of a

protective surface film that develops. A key question is whether this film remains

thin and adherent, so that the underlying surface can be protected. Having an ability

to control the growth and stability of this protective surface film, and to predict its

behavior under different types of extreme chemical environments for extended

periods of time, is the desired technical objective, but will require a much greater

basic understanding of the underlying reactions and transport, not only of a single

process in a single system, but of the collective and coupled behaviors of surface-

mediated phenomena. To that end, a significant body of research and development

to improve the reliability and durability of materials exposed to aggressive

conditions is currently being conducted at industry, university, and national

laboratories around the world. Oxidation of Metals will continue to serve as the

central medium for the publication of high-quality work in these areas of gas–solid

reactions.

2 Oxid Met (2009) 71:1–3

123

To quote again from Dave Douglass’ Editorial in the inaugural issue of the

journal, ‘‘Ideas for the improvement of the journal are more than welcome. Your

help and comments are crucial if this is to be a forum for all those concerned with

the development of the science of gas–solid reactions.’’ We could not have stated it

any better Dave … and thank you for your distinguished service!

Oxid Met (2009) 71:1–3 3

123