This is a brief review of the scientific literature on topics related to coatings. Rheology is the study of viscosity, thixotropy, flow, spreading, and settling with respect to coatings. Development of measuring devices and development of analytical techniques are also relevant to coatings technology. Topics mentioned under the latter heading include use of lasers, infra-red spectroscopy, Mossbauer spectrometry, electron microscopy, chromatography, thermal analysis, measurement of mechanical properties, solubility parameters, and miscellaneous testing.