Most of us who were born before 11 September 2001 can remember where we were, and what we were doing on the fateful and terrible day that is now known throughout the world simply as “911”. In my case, I was making the final modifications to a presentation that I was scheduled to deliver in a few days time at the 11th International Sol-Gel Conference in Abano Terme in Italy, which was due to commence on 16 September 2001. Not unexpectedly, the long trip from Australia to Italy was made even longer by the necessary tight security at every airport and transport hub throughout the world following the tragic events of 911, and I do not remember much about that long journey. What I will always remember, however, was the incredible welcoming smile of the (exhausted) Conference Chairman as we entered the registration area to continue the traditions of our special biennial conference series. That chairman was Professor Massimo Guglielmi, our Colleague-in-the-Spotlight for April.
In a departure from our normal approach for celebrating the careers of our senior colleagues, Massimo’s personal reflections on his career are presented below.
“I graduated in Chemical Engineering – focus on Materials Engineering – in 1979 from the University of Padova. I was asked to stay at the University, hoping for an academic career, under the guidance of Professor Vittorio Gottardi (note that the doctoral degree in Italy started only four years later, in 1983).
Since that time, the sol-gel community has grown substantially, with new topics and new knowledge being rapidly developed.
From the beginning of my involvement in sol-gel science and technology, I was very interested in the application of sol-gel processing as a method for depositing thin coatings on different substrates. At that time, our understanding of the chemical and physical phenomena underlying the deposition method was immature and there was much to learn through careful experimentation. A small scientific anecdote well illustrates this point. Together with two friends at the Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro in Murano, Franco Geotti Bianchini and Piero Polato (who unfortunately are no longer among us), we were trying to deposit titania coatings on glass to modify its optical properties. My experiments in a lab in Trento were very successful, with homogeneous, reproducible coatings being obtained. Unfortunately, the same experiments failed in Murano, although the recipe was exactly the same. But not the environmental conditions – dry climate in Trento and a very humid climate in Murano! The solution was to decrease the hydrolysis rate of titanium alkoxide by using a chelating agent (acetylacetone) to control the gelation process during dip-coating. Thus, we became aware of the importance of chemical kinetics in sol-gel processing.
Professor Gottardi was a very important person to me. He was deeply involved in the field of glass (prior to his role as a professor at the University, he was the Head of the Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro, and became President of the International Commission on Glass in 1984). He had tremendous foresight, and immediately understood the potential of the then new method, namely Sol-Gel processing, which in those days was attracting the attention of the scientific glass community. I remember very well the time when, while driving toward Trento (where we were collaborating on a project), he spoke to me about this new frontier in glass science. He asked me if I would be interested in working on it, stressing that he was convinced that this topic would develop significantly and become an important opportunity for me. So it was that I began to work in this field, which indeed gave me much satisfaction and eventually constituted my most important area of research.
Soon afterwards, he had the idea to organize an international conference on glasses and glass-ceramics from gels, and I was given the opportunity to be at the forefront of the organization of the conference, which was held in 1981. This was the first of our biennial conferences, and of course it was a significant moment for a young scientist as his first international experience.
Since that time, the sol-gel community has grown substantially, with new topics and new knowledge being rapidly developed.
From the beginning of my involvement in sol-gel science and technology, I was very interested in the application of sol-gel processing as a method for depositing thin coatings on different substrates. At that time, our understanding of the chemical and physical phenomena underlying the deposition method was immature and there was much to learn through careful experimentation. A small scientific anecdote well illustrates this point. Together with two friends at the Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro in Murano, Franco Geotti Bianchini and Piero Polato (who unfortunately are no longer among us), we were trying to deposit titania coatings on glass to modify its optical properties. My experiments in a lab in Trento were very successful, with homogeneous, reproducible coatings being obtained. Unfortunately, the same experiments failed in Murano, although the recipe was exactly the same. But not the environmental conditions – dry climate in Trento and a very humid climate in Murano! The solution was to decrease the hydrolysis rate of titanium alkoxide by using a chelating agent (acetylacetone) to control the gelation process during dip-coating. Thus, we became aware of the importance of chemical kinetics in sol-gel processing.
Professor Gottardi was a very important person to me. He was deeply involved in the field of glass (prior to his role as a professor at the University, he was the Head of the Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro, and became President of the International Commission on Glass in 1984). He had tremendous foresight, and immediately understood the potential of the then new method, namely Sol-Gel processing, which in those days was attracting the attention of the scientific glass community. I remember very well the time when, while driving toward Trento (where we were collaborating on a project), he spoke to me about this new frontier in glass science. He asked me if I would be interested in working on it, stressing that he was convinced that this topic would develop significantly and become an important opportunity for me. So it was that I began to work in this field, which indeed gave me much satisfaction and eventually constituted my most important area of research.
Soon afterwards, he had the idea to organize an international conference on glasses and glass-ceramics from gels, and I was given the opportunity to be at the forefront of the organization of the conference, which was held in 1981. This was the first of our biennial conferences, and of course it was a significant moment for a young scientist as his first international experience.
There are so many episodes to tell in the life of a researcher that there is a risk of becoming boring. But one experience that I vividly remember is the competition for the opportunity to host the 11th International Sol-Gel Workshop (and the second for Padua) in 2001. The competition for the opportunity to host the conference was between David Avnir and myself. David’s well-deserved reputation was such as to make me pessimistic, but the geopolitical situation played against him and the Workshop was assigned to Padua. David was obviously disappointed, but being the special person that he is, he gave me an object that I still keep on my desk – a miniature of the Israeli OFEK-3 satellite that the Israeli Minister of Research had given him, with a request to give it to whoever was to host the conference. The conference was ultimately held in Abano Terme, a few kilometres from Padua, on September 16-21, 2001, only five days after the dramatic September 11 attacks! The terrible anguish aroused by that tragedy was partly stifled by the concern that we would still be able to hold the conference, replacing many of the invited speakers who could not attend, updating the presentation calendar, etc.
The conference was, despite everything, a success and I think it has remained in the memory of those who were able to participate.
Meanwhile, my career at the University of Padua had progressed, not without moments of difficulty, anxiety, and frustration (but I think it’s the same for everyone). Officially, I became a researcher in 1983, associate professor in 1987, and full professor in 2000. I had the opportunity to gain experience, in parallel with my research activities, in institutional and managerial activities within the University (member of the Academic Senate, coordinator of the Master’s Program in Materials Engineering, Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering), and outside. It’s safe to say I was never bored!
I’m now close to retirement. After so many years of activity, it is right to leave room for young people to seek the same opportunities that have been so important to me. I have a deep sense of satisfaction at having worked with and mentored many excellent students, who are now scattered throughout Italy and the world. It is a privilege to have worked as a teacher at my university, and among the thousands of students I have had, I often come across a few that greet me. Almost as great a privilege is the opportunity to have contributed to the growth of our knowledge of materials in general and of sol-gel science in particular. Without a doubt, the experience of being a researcher for around 40 years has been the greatest good fortune that life could have reserved for me.”
