Robert Wentorf
Robert Henry Wentorf Jr. (born May 28, 1926 in West Bend , Wisconsin , † April 3, 1997 in Easton ) was an American chemical engineer. He is known for the synthesis of cubic boron nitride (borazon), the hardest known substance after diamond.
Wentorf studied at the University of Wisconsin with a bachelor's degree in 1948 and a doctorate in 1952 with a dissertation on critical phenomena in carbon dioxide and sulfur hexafluoride. From 1951 he was with General Electric in their research laboratory in Schenectady and professor at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute .
In addition to his synthesis of borazone, he made important contributions to the synthesis of diamonds. For example, he invented a process to grow large diamond crystals in a thermal gradient.
In 1965 he received the Ipatieff Prize of the American Chemical Society and in 1977 the James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials . In 1979 he became a member of the National Academy of Engineering . He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Wentorf, Cubic Form of Boron Nitride, J. Chem. Phys., Volume 26, 1957, p. 956
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wentorf, Robert |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wentorf, Robert Henry junior (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American chemical engineer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 28, 1926 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | West Bend , Wisconsin |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 3, 1997 |
| Place of death | Easton |