33:
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she realized that the addition of each layer, about 2/10,000,000 inch thick, reliably changed the color of the plate. Before her invention, the best measurement instruments were only accurate to a few thousandths of an inch. Her glass "ruler" much more precisely showed the progression of colors and their corresponding thicknesses. Measuring thickness became as simple as matching colors. The color gauge was marketed for a time by
General Electric.
355:
Blodgett bought a home in
Schenectady overlooking her birthplace where she spent most of her adult life. Blodgett was an active community member and indulged in various hobbies. She was known for her contributions to civic affairs, including roles in the Travelers Aid Society and the General Electric
316:
Blodgett used barium stearate to cover glass with 44 monomolecular layers, making the glass more than 99% transmissive and creating "invisible" glass. The visible light reflected by the layers of film canceled the reflections created by the glass. This type of coating is referred to as nonreflective
272:
with Harvey B. Lemon, researching the chemical structure of charcoals used in gas masks. She graduated in 1918 and took a research scientist position working with
Langmuir. After six years at the company, Blodgett decided to pursue a doctoral degree with hopes of advancing further within GE. Langmuir
359:
Blodgett spent time during the summer at a camp at Lake George in upstate New York, where other
General Electric scientists also owned property, and she pursued her love of gardening. Even after retiring in 1963, Blodgett continued her horticultural experiments, demonstrating her lifelong commitment
432:
Blodgett's accomplishments were widely recognized, earning her several prestigious awards. In 1945, she received the
Achievement Award from the American Association of University Women, and in 1951, she was honored with the Garvan-Olin Medal by the American Chemical Society. These accolades were a
402:
for her work on thin films. That same year, she was chosen by the U.S. Chamber of
Commerce as one of 15 "women of achievement." Also in 1951, she was honored in Boston's First Assembly of American Women in Achievement (the only scientist in the group), and the mayor of Schenectady honored her with
324:
Blodgett also invented a color gauge, a method to measure the thickness of molecular coatings on glass to the nearest one millionth of an inch. The gauge employed the concept that different thicknesses of coatings are different colors. While examining the layering of stearic acid on a glass plate,
308:
In 1935, Blodgett extended
Langmuir's work by devising a method to spread multiple layers of a monomolecular coating, one layer at a time, onto glass or metal. By repeatedly dipping a metal plate into water covered by a layer of a long-chain fatty acid, she was able to stack layers onto the plate
320:
While in principle, Blodgett's multilayer thin films had potential for use as antireflective coatings, General
Electric never commercialized them because they were too soft and could easily be wiped off a surface. Other types of films employing harder antireflective coatings or etched surfaces
356:
employee's club. Her interests spanned gardening, astronomy, antiquing, and playing bridge with friends. She was an actress in her town's theater group and volunteered for civic and charitable organizations. She had a sharp wit and was known for writing an occasional funny poem.
217:
at
General Electric where he headed that department. He was shot and killed in his home by a burglar just before she was born. GE offered a $ 5,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the killer, but the suspected killer hanged himself in his jail cell in
225:
In 1901, Katharine's mother moved the family to France so that the children would be bilingual. They lived there for several years, returned to New York for a year, during which time
Katharine attended school in
297:, who had pioneered a technique for creating single-molecule thin films on the surface of water. Blodgett and Langmuir explored the application of similar techniques to lipids, polymers, and proteins, creating
273:
arranged for her to study physics at the Cavendish Laboratory of Cambridge University, persuading somewhat reluctant administrators to offer one of their few positions to a woman. She was enrolled at
197:(January 10, 1898 – October 12, 1979) was an American physicist and chemist known for her work on surface chemistry, in particular her invention of "invisible" or nonreflective glass while working at
238:
Blodgett's early childhood was split between New York and Europe, and she wasn't enrolled in school until she was eight years old. After attending Rayson School in New York City, she entered
942:
987:
360:
to exploration and discovery. She died in her home on October 12, 1979, leaving behind a legacy of innovation, resilience, and breaking barriers for women in science and engineering.
371:"always arrived with suitcases full of 'apparatus', with which she showed us such wonders as how to make colors by dipping glass rods into thin films of oil floating on water."
213:
Blodgett was born on January 10, 1898, in Schenectady, New York. She was the second child of Katharine Buchanan (Burr) and George Reddington Blodgett. Her father was a
222:. Her mother was financially secure after her husband's death, and she moved to New York City with Katharine and her son George Jr. shortly after Katharine's birth.
257:(GE)'s research laboratories. He offered her a research position at GE if she first completed higher education, so she enrolled in a master's degree program at the
343:
as co-inventor. Blodgett published over 30 technical papers in various scientific journals. Her research also included the investigation of methods for
1322:
230:, then spent time traveling through Germany. In 1912, Blodgett returned to New York City with her family and attended New York City's Rayson School.
328:
Blodgett and Langmuir also worked on improvements to the light bulb. Their studies on electrical discharges in gases helped lay the foundations for
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coatings designed to cover surfaces of water, metal, or glass. These special coatings were oily and could be deposited in layers only a few
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Blodgett was hired by the General Electric company as a research scientist in 1918 after receiving a master's degree from the
1302:
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293:. She was the first woman to work as a scientist for General Electric Laboratory in Schenectady, NY. She often worked with
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Gebbie often spoke in later life of her aunt's influence by personal example on her choice of a career in science.
760:
The biographical dictionary of women in science : pioneering lives from ancient times to the mid-20th century
411:
407:
887:
Blodgett, Katharine B. (1935). "Films built by depositing successive monomolecular layers on a solid surface".
1040:
1225:(Print book: Biography: English ed.). College Park, MD: American Association of Physics Teachers. 1984.
387:(1943), recognizing her as one of the 1,000 most distinguished scientists in the United States. In 1945, the
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161:
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testament to her groundbreaking work as a scientist and her role as a trailblazer for women in the field.
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Blodgett received numerous awards during her lifetime. She received a star in the seventh edition of
364:
174:
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issued April 28, 1953: "Method of Forming Semiconducting Layers on Glass and Article Formed Thereby"
403:
Katharine Blodgett Day on June 13, 1951, because of all the honor she had brought to her community.
472:
issued January 10, 1950: "Electrical Indicator of Mechanical Expansion" (with Vincent J. Schaefer)
202:
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issued March 18, 1952: "Electrical Indicator of Mechanical Expansion" (with Vincent J. Schaefer)
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and in 1926 became the first woman to receive a PhD in physics from Cambridge University.
253:, a former colleague of her father and future Nobel laureate, took Katharine on a tour of
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during her career. She was the sole inventor on all but two of the patents, working with
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on a scholarship, where she was inspired by two professors in particular: mathematician
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presented her with its Annual Achievement Award and in 2007 she was inducted into the
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1199:(Print book, English ed.). Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press.
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with molecular precision. The apparatus which she used and refined is known as the
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Blodgett, Katharine B. (1934). "Monomolecular films of fatty acids on glass".
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Making contributions : an historical overview of women's role in physics
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Out of the shadows : contributions of twentieth-century women to physics
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Women in the scientific search : an American bio-bibliography, 1724–1979
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issued February 26, 1952: "Step Gauge for Measuring Thickness of Thin Films"
414:. In 2008, an elementary school in Schenectady bearing her name was opened.
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750:
1041:"Katharine Burr Blodgett: An Innovative, Accomplished Schenectady Native"
367:. In an interview, Gebbie recalled that on family visits her Aunt Katie:
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269:
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536:"Katharine Burr Blodgett (1898–1979), demonstrating equipment in lab"
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Women scientists in America : struggles and strategies to 1940
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issued November 5, 1940: "Film Structure and Method of Preparation"
363:
Blodgett's niece and namesake was astrophysicist and civil servant
201:. She was the first woman to be awarded a PhD in physics from the
1164:
Notable women in the physical sciences: a biographical dictionary
1102:. Finley, K. Thomas (Kay Thomas). Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press.
344:
336:
790:
Newnham College student records, accessed January 10, 2019 {{
321:
proved more useful for applications such as camera lenses.
627:. The Schenectady County Historical Society. Archived from
317:
or antireflective because very little light is reflected.
456:
issued November 5, 1940: "Reduction of Surface Reflection"
347:
aircraft wings, and improving smokescreens during WWII.
1160:
Shearer, Benjamin F.; Shearer, Barbara Smith (1997).
1168:(ebook ed.). Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.
496:
issued May 20, 1952: "Electrically Conducting Layer"
567:
Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia
1192:
1161:
1132:"Spotlight | National Inventors Hall of Fame"
1095:
688:
1249:
464:issued November 5, 1940: "Low-Reflectance Glass"
1134:. Invent.org. November 21, 2013. Archived from
695:. Proffitt, Pamela. Detroit: Gale Group. 1999.
391:honored her with its Annual Achievement Award.
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851:
849:
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518:by the Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University
1190:
1014:"Irving Langmuir and Katharine Burr Blodgett"
808:. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
37:Blodgett demonstrating equipment in lab, 1938
836:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
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277:, matriculating in 1924. She studied with
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976:(2): 96–101 – via Internet Archive.
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1323:Fellows of the American Physical Society
916:Journal of the American Chemical Society
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889:Journal of the American Chemical Society
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389:American Association of University Women
1191:Byers, Nina; Williams, Gary A. (2006).
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261:after receiving her bachelor's degree.
1313:20th-century American women scientists
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563:"Blodgett, Katharine Burr (1898–1979)"
417:She received honorary doctorates from
1298:Alumni of the University of Cambridge
940:
649:
394:In 1951 she received the prestigious
1067:"An Interview with Katharine Gebbie"
1278:Recipients of the Garvan–Olin Medal
1038:
943:"Katharine Blodgett and Thin Films"
585:"Obituary: Katharine Burr Blodgett"
560:
13:
1153:
803:
14:
1354:
625:"Timeline of Schenectady History"
1338:Physicists from New York (state)
1308:20th-century American physicists
540:Smithsonian Institution Archives
421:(1939), Western College (1942),
350:
1318:20th-century American inventors
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990:. Facts on File. Archived from
964:Kinsey, John R. (August 1946).
957:
934:
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804:W., Rossiter, Margaret (1982).
412:National Inventors Hall of Fame
408:Photographic Society of America
335:Blodgett was issued eight U.S.
1333:Chemists from New York (state)
1328:20th-century American chemists
1094:Siegel, Patricia Joan (1985).
856:Roberts, Jacob (Spring 2014).
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16:American physicist (1898–1979)
1:
1288:American women in World War I
658:. FrogNet.Net. Archived from
573:– via Encyclopedia.com.
522:
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1303:University of Chicago alumni
1065:Whitten, Barbara L. (2001).
246:and physicist James Barnes.
233:
7:
941:Davis, Kathleen A. (1984).
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75:Schenectady, New York, U.S.
10:
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970:Popular Mechanics Magazine
862:Chemical Heritage Magazine
436:
1343:Graduate Women in Science
1268:American women physicists
1018:Science History Institute
542:. Smithsonian Institution
400:American Chemical Society
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365:Katharine Blodgett Gebbie
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175:Katharine Blodgett Gebbie
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1293:Bryn Mawr College alumni
1273:American women inventors
691:Notable women scientists
311:Langmuir–Blodgett trough
285:Work at General Electric
162:Langmuir–Blodgett trough
1283:American women chemists
762:. New York: Routledge.
752:Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey
652:"Katharine B. Blodgett"
385:American Men of Science
203:University of Cambridge
195:Katharine Burr Blodgett
152:Anti-reflective coating
25:Katharine Burr Blodgett
723:: CS1 maint: others (
595:(3): 107. March 1980.
561:Schafer, Elizabeth D.
516:Notable American Women
157:Langmuir–Blodgett film
105:(PhD in Physics, 1926)
988:"Blodgett, Katharine"
858:"The Invisible Woman"
650:Covington, Edward J.
631:on September 29, 2011
501:U.S. patent 2,636,832
493:U.S. patent 2,597,562
485:U.S. patent 2,589,983
477:U.S. patent 2,587,282
469:U.S. patent 2,493,745
461:U.S. patent 2,220,862
453:U.S. patent 2,220,861
445:U.S. patent 2,220,860
291:University of Chicago
279:Sir Ernest Rutherford
266:University of Chicago
259:University of Chicago
244:Charlotte Angas Scott
93:University of Chicago
89:(BA in Physics, 1917)
57:Schenectady, New York
966:"Clearer View Ahead"
662:on November 21, 2013
427:Russell Sage College
396:Francis Garvan Medal
103:Cambridge University
928:10.1021/ja01317a513
901:10.1021/ja01309a011
756:Harvey, Joy Dorothy
601:1980PhT....33c.107.
341:Vincent J. Schaefer
1138:on August 14, 2016
1039:Venezia, Jessica.
610:10.1063/1.2913969
240:Bryn Mawr College
192:
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186:Garvan–Olin Medal
147:Surface chemistry
87:Bryn Mawr College
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134:General Electric
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251:Irving Langmuir
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1136:the original
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1020:. June 2016
998:October 15,
205:, in 1926.
112:Occupations
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922:(2): 495.
523:References
303:nanometers
270:adsorption
209:Early life
95:(MS, 1918)
49:1898-01-10
1184:644247606
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872:March 21,
832:cite book
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398:from the
249:In 1917,
234:Education
171:Relatives
117:Physicist
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510:See also
429:(1944).
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120:inventor
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1080:(2): 1.
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1070:(PDF)
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1180:OCLC
1170:ISBN
1144:2016
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838:link
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725:link
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