Katharine Burr Blodgett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Katharine Burr Blodgett
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Blodgett demonstrating equipment in lab, 1938
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| Born | January 10, 1898 Schenectady, New York, U.S.
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| Died | October 12, 1979 (aged 81) Schenectady, New York, U.S.
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| Employer | General Electric |
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| Relatives | Katharine Blodgett Gebbie (niece) |
| Awards | Garvan–Olin Medal (1951) |
Katharine Burr Blodgett (born January 10, 1898 – died October 12, 1979) was an American scientist. She was a physicist and chemist. Katharine is famous for inventing "invisible" glass. This special glass doesn't reflect light. She created it while working at General Electric. In 1926, she became the first woman to earn a PhD in physics from the University of Cambridge.
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Early Life and Family
Katharine Blodgett was born in Schenectady, New York, on January 10, 1898. Her father, George Blodgett, was a patent attorney at General Electric. He sadly passed away just before Katharine was born. Her mother, Katharine Buchanan Blodgett, moved with Katharine and her older brother, George Jr., to New York City.
In 1901, her mother decided to move the family to France. She wanted her children to learn to speak two languages. They lived in France for several years. After that, they traveled through Germany. In 1912, Katharine returned to New York City. She attended the Rayson School there.
Katharine's Education Journey
Katharine didn't start school until she was eight years old. After attending Rayson School, she received a scholarship to Bryn Mawr College. There, two professors greatly inspired her. They were mathematician Charlotte Angas Scott and physicist James Barnes.
In 1917, a scientist named Irving Langmuir gave Katharine a tour. He was a former colleague of her father. Langmuir later won a Nobel Prize. He offered Katharine a job at General Electric (GE). But first, she needed to get more education.
So, after earning her bachelor's degree, she went to the University of Chicago. She studied how gases stick to surfaces. This research was important for gas masks. She earned her master's degree in 1918. Then, she started working with Langmuir at GE.
After six years, Katharine wanted to advance her career. She decided to get a doctoral degree. Langmuir helped her get into Cambridge University. She studied physics at the Cavendish Laboratory. In 1926, she made history. She became the first woman to earn a PhD in physics from Cambridge University.
Groundbreaking Work at General Electric
Katharine Blodgett joined General Electric as a research scientist in 1918. She was the first woman scientist to work at GE's lab in Schenectady, New York. She often worked with Irving Langmuir. He had developed a way to create very thin films, just one molecule thick, on water.
Blodgett and Langmuir explored how to use these thin films. They applied them to different materials like oils, plastics, and proteins. They created special coatings that were only a few nanometers thick. These coatings could cover surfaces like water, metal, or glass.
Inventing "Invisible" Glass
In 1935, Blodgett improved Langmuir's work. She found a way to add these super-thin coatings one layer at a time. She would dip a metal plate into water covered with a layer of oil. Each dip added another layer of oil. This allowed her to stack layers with amazing precision. The tool she used is now called the Langmuir–Blodgett trough.
Using this method, Blodgett found practical uses for these thin films. She covered glass with 44 layers of a special film. This made the glass more than 99% clear. It became "invisible" glass. The light reflected by the film layers canceled out the reflections from the glass itself. This non-reflective coating is now known as Langmuir–Blodgett film.
This invention was very useful. The famous movie Gone with the Wind (1939) used Blodgett's invisible glass. It helped make the movie's pictures look very clear. After World War II, non-reflective lenses were used in movie projectors and cameras. Blodgett's glass also helped during the war. It was used in submarine periscopes and spy cameras on airplanes.
The Color Gauge: Measuring Tiny Layers
Blodgett also invented the color gauge. This tool could measure molecular coatings on glass. It was accurate to one millionth of an inch! She noticed that different thicknesses of coatings had different colors. As she added layers of a certain acid to glass, the color changed. Each layer was incredibly thin, about 2/10,000,000 of an inch.
Before her invention, measuring tools were not nearly as precise. Her glass "ruler" made measuring thickness easy. You just matched the color to find the exact thickness.
Blodgett and Langmuir also worked on making light bulbs better. Their studies on electricity in gases helped create the field of plasma physics.
Katharine Blodgett received eight U.S. patents for her inventions. She was the main inventor on most of them. She also wrote over 30 scientific papers. Her other inventions included materials for poison gas masks, ways to de-ice airplane wings, and better smokescreens.
Personal Life and Hobbies
Katharine Blodgett lived her whole adult life in Schenectady, New York. She was an active member of her community. She enjoyed many hobbies, including gardening, astronomy, and collecting old items. She also helped with local groups like the Travelers Aid Society.
Even after she retired in 1963, she kept doing her gardening experiments. This showed her lifelong love for discovery. She passed away on October 12, 1979. She left behind a legacy of new ideas and breaking barriers for women in science.
Her niece, Katharine Blodgett Gebbie, was also a scientist. She remembered her Aunt Blodgett bringing "apparatus" when she visited. Her aunt would show them how to make colors by dipping glass rods into thin oil films on water. Gebbie often said her aunt inspired her to pursue a career in science.
Katharine bought a home in Schenectady that looked over her birthplace. She was also an actress in her town's theater group. She volunteered for many community and charity groups. She spent summers at a camp at Lake George, where she loved to garden. Blodgett was also an enthusiastic amateur astronomer. She collected antiques, played bridge with friends, and wrote funny poems.
Awards and Recognition
Katharine Blodgett received many awards during her life.
- In 1943, she was listed in American Men of Science. This recognized her as one of the top 1,000 scientists in the U.S.
- In 1945, the American Association of University Women gave her their Annual Achievement Award.
- In 1951, she received the important Francis Garvan Medal from the American Chemical Society. This was for her work on thin films.
- Also in 1951, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce named her one of 15 "women of achievement."
- The mayor of Schenectady honored her with "Katharine Blodgett Day" on June 13, 1951. This was because of all the honor she brought to her community.
- In 1972, the Photographic Society of America gave her its Annual Achievement Award.
- In 2007, she was added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
- In 2008, an elementary school in Schenectady was named after her.
She also received honorary doctorates from several colleges. These included Elmira College (1939), Western College (1942), Brown University (1942), and Russell Sage College (1944). These awards showed how important her work was and how she inspired others.
Patents
Katharine Blodgett held several U.S. patents for her inventions:
- U.S. Patent 2,220,860 issued November 5, 1940: "Film Structure and Method of Preparation"
- U.S. Patent 2,220,861 issued November 5, 1940: "Reduction of Surface Reflection"
- U.S. Patent 2,220,862 issued November 5, 1940: "Low-Reflectance Glass"
- U.S. Patent 2,493,745 issued January 10, 1950: "Electrical Indicator of Mechanical Expansion" (with Vincent J. Schaefer)
- U.S. Patent 2,587,282 issued February 26, 1952: "Step Gauge for Measuring Thickness of Thin Films"
- U.S. Patent 2,589,983 issued March 18, 1952: "Electrical Indicator of Mechanical Expansion" (with Vincent J. Schaefer)
- U.S. Patent 2,597,562 issued May 20, 1952: "Electrically Conducting Layer"
- U.S. Patent 2,636,832 issued April 28, 1953: "Method of Forming Semiconducting Layers on Glass and Article Formed Thereby"
See also
In Spanish: Katherine Blodgett para niños
