Martin Fleischmann
| Martin Fleischmann | |
|---|---|
Fleischmann showing off part of his cold fusion test apparatus.
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| Born |
29 March 1927 Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia |
| Died | 3 August 2012 (aged 85) Tisbury, England |
| Residence | near Salisbury, England |
| Citizenship | British |
| Nationality | British |
| Fields | Electrochemistry |
| Institutions | Durham University, Newcastle University, University of Southampton, University of Utah, IMRA |
| Alma mater | Imperial College London |
| Notable students | Stanley Pons |
| Known for | Fundamental electrochemistry, work on cold fusion |
| Notable awards | Fellow of the Royal Society |
Martin Fleischmann FRS (29 March 1927 – 3 August 2012) was a British chemist noted for his work in electrochemistry. Premature announcement of his cold fusion research with Stanley Pons, regarding excess heat in heavy water, caused a media sensation although they continued their interest and research in cold fusion.
Born in Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia, in 1927. His father was a wealthy lawyer and his mother the daughter of a high-rank Austrian civil officer. Since his father was of Jewish heritage, Fleischmann's family abandoned a castle of their property and moved to the Netherlands and then to England in 1938, to avoid Nazi persecution. His father died of the complications of the injuries received in a Nazi prison and afterwards Fleischmann lived for a period with his mother in a leased cottage in Rustington, Sussex. His early education was obtained at Worthing High School for Boys. After serving in the Czech Airforce Training Unit during the war, he moved to London in order to obtain a undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in chemistry at Imperial College London. His PhD degree was awarded in 1951 under the supervision of Professor Herrington and treated on the diffusion of electrogenerated hydrogen through palladium foils. He met Shelia, his future wife, as a student and remained married to her for 62 years.
Fleischmann's professional career was focused almost entirely on fundamental electrochemistry. Fleischmann went on to teach at King's College, Durham University, which in 1963 became the newly established University of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1967, Fleischmann became Professor of Electrochemistry at the University of Southampton, occupying the Faraday Chair of Chemistry. From 1970 to 1972, he was president of the International Society of Electrochemists. In 1973, together with Patrick J. Hendra and A. James McQuillan, he played an important role in the discovery of Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering effect (SERS) a contribution for which the University of Southampton was awarded a National Chemical Landmark plaque by the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2013, and he developed the ultramicroelectrode in the 1980s. In 1979, he was awarded the medal for electrochemistry and thermodynamics by the Royal Society of London. In 1982 he retired from the University of Southampton. In 1985 he received the Olin Palladium Award from the Electrochemical Society, and in 1986 was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society. He retired from teaching in 1983 and was given an honorary professorship at Southampton University.
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