Martin Fleischmann
Martin Fleischmann
Martin Fleischmann FRSwas 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...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionScientist
Date of Birth29 March 1927
although archetypal born british certain english-scientist problem science style
British science has a certain style and, of course, my problem is that, although I was born in Czechoslovakia, I am the archetypal British scientist.
careful english-scientist taking work
At the moment I am taking a very careful look at some of the work which we have done in the past.
assessment came device english-scientist successful three trillion whether worth
I don't know whether you have done your calculations but, about two or three years back, I did a first assessment of what the first successful device would be worth and it came out at about 300 trillion dollars.
deal english-scientist great headway innovative japan moment organized science
So I think that as science is organized in Japan at the moment it will not make a great deal of headway in innovative science. That's my own opinion.
cover english-scientist four lines major original potential regarding sure ways
So if I could just go back now to something which I am sure we should cover here regarding our original scenario: we have, in fact, four ways - four major potential lines of research.
english-scientist phase stan work
Stan and I funded the first phase of the work ourselves. It was secret.
assume english-scientist fact high including reveals since valid
If you assume that it was a valid experiment, then its disintegration reveals a very substantial part of what has been found since then, including the fact that you can get heat generation at high temperature.
giving-up integrity believe
If it had been anything else, we would have said, 'People don't want us to do it. Forget it. Let's just leave it alone.' But this is not in that category. This is interesting science. New science. With a hint of a possibility of a very useful technology. Therefore, if you've got any integrity, you don't give up. You only give up if you find you are wrong. But as long as you believe that you are right, you have to continue. And you have to take the consequences.
way british caricatures
I am a caricature of what British science is about in the way I work.
british organized has-beens
American science is much more organized, much more hierarchical than British science has been.
retiring
I don't suppose I'll ever retire completely.
thinking becoming becoming-more
I think British science is becoming more like American science - and then there is everybody else, I'm afraid.
views long design
I have had this view of the optimization of the electrode design for a long time. Historically we went through various phases in the work and eventually worked on large sheets - very large sheets - of palladium.
thinking british knows
I think you know that I classify science as British science, American science, and everybody else.