Special issue on Recent advances in corrosion science: celebrating the 90th birthday of Professor Norio Sato

This special issue is dedicated to the 90th birthday of Professor Norio Sato. He is one of the most famous electrochemists and corrosion scientists alive today. Some of the researchers once educated or supervised as students by Professor Norio Sato at Hokkaido University, contribute as authors to this special issue.

Professor Norio Sato was born in Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan, on January 23, 1927. He earned his B. Eng. Degree in material science at Hokkaido University in Sapporo in 1951. After his work as a research associate in the Research Institute at Shin-Etsu Chem. Ind. Co. Ltd., he returned to Hokkaido University in 1954 and joined the laboratory of Professor Go Okamoto, who was the pioneer of electrochemical study of corrosion in Japan. He became an Associate Professor at the same laboratory in 1960 and earned his D. Eng. Degree in electrochemistry and corrosion science at Hokkaido University in 1961. His thesis was on the electrochemical behavior and passivation of nickel.

In 1961–1962, he worked on the growth mechanism of passive films on iron as a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Morris Cohen at the Division of Applied Chemistry, National Research Council, Ottawa, Canada. After he returned to Hokkaido University, he continued to study the passive film by using sophisticated analytical methods. He was promoted to Professor of the Electrochemistry Laboratory in 1969 as the successor of Professor Go Okamoto. His studies have been directed to the fundamental understanding of metallic passivity and its breakdown. Professor Sato became the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Hokkaido University in 1986–1990 and contributed to the reformation of the Faculty system. He became a Professor Emeritus on his retirement in 1990 and moved to the University of Air as the Director of its Hokkaido Study Center located on the same campus of Hokkaido University. He maintained his research activity as a great corrosion scientist and electrochemist after his retirement from the University of Air in 1997 and that continues today.

Professor Sato has worked on the leading edge of interfacial electrochemistry and has pioneered many creative molecular approaches to the study of the interfacial structure and reactivity of metal electrodes, particularly, the passivation and corrosion of metals. Among his many scientific accomplishments, the outstanding achievements are represented by sophisticated fine-chemical analyses of passive films on iron group metals, thermodynamics of electrostriction-induced film breakdown, the stability of passive films depending on their semiconductive properties, the ion-selective-bipolar layer leading to the formation of passive films, fluctuation-induced pit initiation, the potential-dimension diagram for the stability of localized corrosion, and the decisive role played by the ion-selectivity of interfacial layers in the corrosion of metals.

Professor Norio Sato has authored over 300 research and review papers and has two patents. Furthermore, he has written a wonderful and important book Electrochemistry at metal and semiconductor electrodes published in 1999 by Elsevier. On recognition of his outstanding achievements in electrochemistry and corrosion science, he has been conferred numerous international awards, including the Takei Award of the Japan Electrochemical Society in 1978, the Outstanding Achievement Award of the Corrosion Division of the Electrochemical Society, USA in 1983, U. R. Evans Award of the Institute of Corrosion Science and Technology, UK in 1985, W. R. Whitney Award of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers, USA in 1987, a Fellow Award of NACE International, USA in 1993, an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Corrosion, UK in 1998, a Fellow Award of the Electrochemical Society, USA in 1999 and the Olin Palladium Award of the Electrochemical Society, USA in 2001.

Professor Norio Sato was a member of the International Corrosion Council representing Japan from 1975 to 1990. He was the President and Director of the Japan Society of Corrosion Engineering (1992–1994) and has made substantial contributions to the promotion of international collaboration in corrosion research and education. He has organized a number of international corrosion gatherings, including the 5th International Congress on Metallic Corrosion in 1972 in Tokyo and the 6th International Symposium on Passivity of Metals and Semiconductors in 1989 in Sapporo. Furthermore, he has supervised and trained in his laboratory more than 100 students, some of whom have grown to internationally noted electrochemists and corrosion engineers. Professor Norio Sato is a wonderful, warm human being as well as an excellent scientist, teacher and organizer.

We wish Professor Norio Sato good health and long life to watch our research activities in future.

Professor Norio Sato at the symposium celebrating his 90th birthday (Sapporo, June 30, 2017.) © Corrosion Research Group (Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan).