www.mrs.org/publications/bulletin California; Istanbul; and Copenhagen. Many of these moves were the result of the turbulent times in Germany early in his career. Arthur R. von Hippel, Coming from a strong academic back- ground, with a father and grandfather who had been successful university pro- fessors—and a Nobel Laureate father-in- In Memoriam law, James Franck—von Hippel had a passion, a vision, and an opportunity to do something important upon his arrival (1898–2003): at MIT in 1936. His experiences in fleeing his home to escape from Nazi Germany and the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe triggered von Hippel to do im- A Tribute to the portant scientific work to curtail and counteract the technological strength of the Nazis. The United States was just be- ginning to ramp up its military strength, Interdisciplinary and von Hippel was eager to participate personally and through his laboratory in the science and technology explosion of that time. The environment of MIT during Materials Research the war years turned researchers toward goal-oriented, large programs. It was also a time when relatively young and capable people could assume large responsibilities. He Spawned Von Hippel flourished in this environment. To do insulation research at the cutting M.S. Dresselhaus and P.Chaudhari, edge in the 1930s required expertise span- ning several academic fields, including Guest Editors materials preparation, characterization, properties measurements, and device ap- plications. The strong emphasis on funda- Abstract mental science as a scaffold for building an interdisciplinary program came both This article introduces the November 2005 issue of MRS Bulletin on the life and works from von Hippel’s early training and from of Arthur Robert von Hippel, who pioneered the interdisciplinary approach to materials the realization during World War II that research. This issue of MRS Bulletin celebrates his long life, his large volume of work, many of the innovative and high-impact, and the overall impact he had on materials research as practiced today.This introductory large programs involved the development article summarizes the start and progression of the various fields presented in this issue, of much fundamental science to allow and how many were inspired directly by von Hippel’s work and ways, and how new fields breakthrough technological advances— continue to emerge based on the same foundations of interdisciplinarity.The articles in like radar and the Manhattan Project—to this issue cover research areas in which von Hippel was involved, namely, ferroelectrics occur. The MIT setting of highly capable and magnetism; fields that thrived on an interdisciplinary approach that von Hippel personnel (students and staff) further rein- represented, such as semiconductors; and areas that reflect his own vision about mate- forced this approach. Von Hippel’s vehicle rials research and interests later in life, including molecular design and biomaterials. was the Laboratory for Insulation Re- Before the scientific work is presented, the issue begins with a personal sketch of von search (LIR), which he established in 1937. Hippel, contributed by his son Frank N. von Hippel. Not only was the interdisciplinary as- pect of the LIR a novel vision of the future, Keywords: Arthur von Hippel, biomaterials, ferroelectrics, insulation research, but von Hippel’s interest in studying a interdisciplinary, magnetism, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, materials research, large variety of different kinds of mate- MIT, molecular design, semiconductors. rials also became part of his vision. Com- ing from the Department of Electrical Engineering, von Hippel applied his knowledge of this type of interdisciplinary It can be said that when Arthur Robert several areas of applied physics, dating engineering to a variety of materials, such von Hippel joined the faculty of the Mass- from his PhD thesis completion in 1924, as conductors of electricity, insulators, and achusetts Institute of Technology in 1936, including the sputtering of metals, the ion- magnetic materials. His colleagues the era of interdisciplinary materials re- ization characteristics of mercury atoms watched his interest in different categories search was born. Karl Taylor Compton, caused by electron impact, electric break- of materials grow over the years; toward the then president of MIT, was a visionary, down of gases, and high-voltage phenom- end of his career, he became enamored with and he attracted people who could “think ena. He had also worked in many settings water (which he considered the basis of life) big” and be leaders. At the time of his ap- around the world, including Göttingen and biological materials, which fascinated pointment, von Hippel had experience in and Jena in his native Germany; Berkeley, him as he asked the recurring question 830 MRS BULLETIN • VOLUME 30 • NOVEMBER 2005 Arthur R. von Hippel: A Tribute to Interdisciplinary Materials Research the interdisciplinary research practiced LIR in his youth, thereby providing per- there. sonal insights into the discovery process The first technical article, by Robert E. in von Hippel’s laboratory. In this article, Newnham and L. Eric Cross, is on ferro- the authors trace the evolution of the fer- electrics—insulators with strong and roelectric BaTiO3 into a broader class of permanent electric polarizations—a field dielectric and piezoelectric materials and that von Hippel influenced strongly at their use in a variety of applications the very early stage of its development. ranging from capacitors to transducers. We Von Hippel’s entry into the field stemmed note the interplay between fundamental from his strong commitment to develop- science and applications in von Hippel’s ing more effective insulating materials. laboratory, so characteristic of materials Therefore, materials with the potential science as we see it today. of achieving very high dielectric con- The second technical article is written stants would hold great interest for him. by John B. Goodenough, a luminary in the Von Hippel’s ground-breaking work on magnetism field who got to know von Hippel the ceramic ferroelectric BaTiO3 brought at an early stage of Goodenough’s own him international fame and led to the career, with interactions between the two golden years of the LIR, corresponding men continuing long after von Hippel’s Arthur von Hippel at age 100; photo roughly to the decade before von Hippel’s retirement. The article focuses on the taken by his grandson, photographer retirement in 1964. Through his research structural and magnetic properties of Jonas A. Kahn (www.jonaskahn.com). efforts on BaTiO3, we see his scholarship ferrospinels and to some extent on gar- and his vision for understanding the be- nets, which saw significant activity at the about what was different between a “liv- havior of materials at the molecular level, LIR during the 1950s. In this work, we get ing” material and an inanimate material. his interdisciplinary approach to carrying a glimpse of the importance of the quality With this issue of MRS Bulletin, we cele- out the research itself, gaining detailed of materials, typified by a single crystal of brate the long life, the large volume of control of the materials synthesis process, Fe3O4, in establishing the underlying work, and the overall impact of Arthur characterizing the materials from several mechanism of a variety of magnetic phe- von Hippel on materials research. Because complementary standpoints, and then nomena. But beyond that, we see the of the many similarities in the vision of using all this knowledge to make devices breadth of interest of von Hippel and of von Hippel and the goals of the Materials that would have some impact on society. his colleagues and how they worked to- Research Society as embodied and ex- The authors chosen to write the article are gether at his laboratory. The ferrospinels pressed in MRS Bulletin, we also celebrate both long-term experts in the field, and von Hippel studied were insulating, and the 30th anniversary of the Bulletin Newnham himself was a member of the in that sense fit into the framework of his this year. In choosing the content of the issue to celebrate the life and work of von Hippel, we selected articles and au- thors in a special way. First, we have a short biography written by his third son, Frank N. von Hippel, that is intended to acquaint readers with the warmth and motivation of the man behind the science and the technology. We selected the personal sketch to come first because Arthur von Hippel ap- proached his scientific collaborators first with a cup of tea and cookies. Before start- ing serious work, he liked to strengthen personal relations and to discuss the big picture in a gracious atmosphere. He also wanted to be sure that his colleagues were enjoying music and art and getting enough exercise. His concern for people went far beyond his MIT collaborators, and all who knew Arthur knew about the many care packages he and his wife Dagmar sent to people abroad who were recovering from the ravages of the war years or simply to those in need. These personal aspects of von Hippel strongly affected the mutual and long-term dedica- tion he developed with his collaborators. Frank N. von Hippel focuses on the warm surroundings of the von Hippel family, but also conveys the spill-over of this am- “The Prof”: Arthur von Hippel with students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, biance to the von Hippel laboratory and to circa late 1950s. MRS BULLETIN • VOLUME 30 • NOVEMBER 2005 831 Arthur R. von Hippel: A Tribute to Interdisciplinary Materials Research laboratory, but the science and applica- involvement in device development stem- typified by the brief description given in tions of the programs took him far afield ming from the basic science. When enter- Goodenough’s article, can trace their roots from dielectric breakdown phenomena ing a new field with uncertain outcomes, to the work done in von Hippel’s laboratory.